PONTA DELGADA, Azores – A Hurricane Warning has been issued for the Azores as Hurricane Gabrielle continues to barrel across the Atlantic toward the islands and European coastline as a monster Category 3 hurricane.
The Azores sit some 850 miles off the coast of Portugal, and forecasters have warned people there to keep an eye on the forecast as the hurricane moves closer to the archipelago in the North Atlantic.
Hurricane conditions, including torrential rain, strong winds, and a dangerous storm surge, are expected to begin within the Hurricane Warning area by Thursday night and Friday morning.
Behind Hurricane Gabrielle, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) is also monitoring invests 93L and 94L in the Atlantic for likely tropical development in the coming days.
The increase in tropical activity in the Atlantic comes after a weekslong lull in activity as we enter the final months of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season.
As of the latest advisory from the NHC, Hurricane Gabrielle has maximum sustained winds of 115 mph, making it a Category 3 hurricane.
Steady weakening is expected over the next few days, but Gabrielle is still expected to be a hurricane when it passes through the Azores on Thursday and Friday.
Hurricane Gabrielle is currently located about 1,285 miles west of the Azores and is moving east-northeast at 25 mph.
That motion, along with an increase in forward speed, is expected to continue for the next few days.
On that forecast track, the center of Hurricane Gabrielle is expected to approach the Azores during the day on Thursday, and move across the island chain Thursday night and into Friday.
The NHC is warning that a dangerous storm surge is expected to produce significant coastal flooding near areas with onshore winds.
That storm surge will also be accompanied by large, destructive waves.
In addition, Hurricane Gabrielle may produce upwards of 3-5 inches of rain in much of the central and western Azores.
Outer bands may also produce about 1-2 inches of rain across the eastern Azores.
Swells generated by Hurricane Gabrielle are also expected to impact Bermuda, the U.S. East Coast from North Carolina northward, and Atlantic Canada over the next few days.
Those swells are expected to produce life-threatening surf and rip currents at local beaches.
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