Gabrielle is expected to become a hurricane soon. Here’s the latest NC forecast
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Tropical Storm Gabrielle is expected to become a hurricane by Sunday, Sept. 21.
- Gabrielle's center will pass east of Bermuda, avoiding the U.S. East Coast.
- NOAA forecasts up to nine hurricanes this season, including five major hurricanes.
Update: Find our latest story on Hurricane Gabrielle here.
Tropical Storm Gabrielle is expected to strengthen into a hurricane over the weekend.
As of Friday morning, Sept. 19, the storm was nearly 600 miles east-northeast of the northern Leeward Islands and about 945 miles southeast of Bermuda, moving west-northwest at 12 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.
It has maximum sustained winds of 50 mph, and tropical storm-force winds extend outward up to 150 miles from its center.
Meteorologists at the National Hurricane Center expect the storm to become a hurricane by Sunday, Sept. 21. Hurricanes have maximum sustained winds of at least 74 mph.
Will Gabrielle hit NC?
The storm is expected to continue traveling northwest and then by Sunday night, northward.
Its center will pass east of Bermuda on Sunday night and Monday, Sept. 22, according to the National Hurricane Center, keeping it far from the U.S. East Coast and North Carolina.
As of Friday morning, the National Hurricane Center isn’t issuing any warnings for the U.S., but it is for Bermuda. Swells generated by Gabrielle could reach the island Friday night and build through the weekend. The swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip currents.
It’s too early to specify how significant the potential wind and rainfall impacts will be for Bermuda, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Hurricane season 2025
Gabrielle is the seventh named Atlantic tropical cyclone this year. It would be the second hurricane, if it intensifies into one. The first hurricane was Erin, which also became the first major hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season.
The National Hurricane Center continues to track a tropical wave off the west coast of Africa. It has a 20% chance of forming into a cyclone within the next seven days.
Hurricane season lasts until Nov. 30. The next named storm would be Humberto.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts above-normal activity this season, with 13-18 named storms in 2025. Of those, up to nine could become hurricanes, including up to five major hurricanes.
This story was originally published September 19, 2025 at 11:50 AM.
