Tropical Storm Gabrielle has formed. Is it headed toward NC?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Tropical Storm Gabrielle formed in the Atlantic, over 1,000 miles from Leeward Islands.
- Gabrielle is forecast to remain over open water with limited intensification for a few days.
- A tropical wave near Cabo Verde Islands shows low development chances this week.
Update: Find our latest story on Gabrielle here.
The seventh named storm of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season has formed.
Gabrielle, which was first a tropical depression before it developed into a tropical storm Wednesday, Sept. 17, is over the central tropical Atlantic, and the National Hurricane Center expects it to remain in open waters for the next few days.
Here’s what to know about the latest cyclone.
Will Tropical Storm Gabrielle hit NC?
As of 11 a.m. Wednesday, Gabrielle was more than 1,000 miles east of the northern Leeward Islands, an archipelago on the eastern edge of the Caribbean Sea.
Its maximum sustained winds are 45 mph, and the cyclone is moving north-northwest at 22 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Meteorologists expect it to move northwestward to west-northwestward across the tropical and subtropical central Atlantic over the next few days.
That means it’s moving toward the general direction of the U.S. East Coast, but it’s too far away to have any immediate impact on North Carolina.
Gabrielle is not well organized, according to the National Hurricane Center, and it is not expected to strengthen very much over the next few days, but there could be more intensification by this weekend.
Storm activity in the Atlantic
The National Hurricane Center is also tracking a tropical wave near the Cabo Verde Islands. The wave is producing an area of disorganized showers and thunderstorms, and meteorologists expect that any development of the system should be slow.
There are currently low chances that the wave will develop into a cyclone within the next 48 hours or seven days.
Hurricane season continues through Nov. 30. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association expects between 13 and 18 named storms, of which five to nine could become hurricanes.
Erin was the first hurricane and first major hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season.
This story was originally published September 17, 2025 at 12:31 PM.
