Tropical Storm Gabrielle expected to become 2nd Atlantic hurricane of the season

Tropical Storm Gabrielle is expected to become a hurricane as soon as Saturday night.

As of 5 p.m. ET on Saturday, Gabrielle was moving northwest in the Atlantic and had sustained winds of 65 mph and was about 580 mph southeast of Bermuda, the National Hurricane Center said.

David Roth, a forecaster with the National Weather Service, said Gabrielle is expected to eventually have maximum sustained winds of up to 105 mph, making it a Category 2 hurricane.

The National Hurricane Center said Gabrielle is forecast to pass east of Bermuda Sunday night or Monday. Roth said Bermudans aren’t expected to get a direct hit from the storm but could see swells which could create life-threatening surf.

“They’ll notice there are some higher waves Tuesday,” Roth said. “On Sunday and Monday their easterly winds might increase some. But it doesn’t take much wind to produce rip currents.”

The National Hurricane Center reports Gabrielle is also expected to miss the U.S. mainland but swells could reach the East Coast, north of North Carolina.

Once Gabrielle passes Bermuda, it’s forecast to then curve northeast toward the Azores.

If Gabrielle does strengthen to a hurricane, it’d be the second Atlantic hurricane of the season. That’s almost a month later than is average, with the second hurricane of the season typically forming around Aug. 26, according to the NHC.

The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season ends Nov. 30, according to the center.