The latest hurricane report from the US National Hurricane Center says that Hurricane Gabrielle formed about 1,600km east of the northern Leeward Islands and moved northwest at a speed of 35km/h. The maximum sustained wind speed of Gabrielle is 72 km/h.
Gabrielle, which formed from a tropical depression in the Atlantic, has been monitored by the storm center for the past few days.
The center said tropical storm-force winds have extended about 280km since the center of Gabrielle. The path of the storm and the general forecast are still "very uncertain" because the center of the storm is not yet clearly defined.
US forecasters expect the latest Atlantic storm to remain in the ocean for the next few days and have yet to warn of any danger due to the impact of Gabrielle on land. However, Gabrielle is expected to become a hurricane as it strengthens over the weekend.
Current forecasts show that Gabrielle's path is heading north of the Caribbean, away from land and possibly to Bermuda next week as it continues to strengthen.
According to CBS News forecaster Nikki Nolan, Gabrielle is expected to head westward through September 22. At that time, the storm could have winds of up to 130 km/h. The storm could develop into a hurricane on September 21 as it passes near the Caribbean.
Hurricane Gabrielle formed about a week after it was considered the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season. The typhoon season runs from June 1 to November 30 and is typically most active around September 10.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) initially predicted that the 2025 hurricane season would be more intense than usual, with more storms than the average for the year. However, the storm season is still calmer than expected.
At the start of the season, NOAA's forecast showed that 13 to 19 storms formed in the Atlantic, with up to 9 storms strengthening into hurricanes and up to 5 becoming Category 5 hurricanes, the strongest.
NOAA adjusted its forecast in August, predicting that this year's hurricane season will have 13 to 18 named storms, including 5 to 9 hurricanes, including 2 major hurricanes.
Of the six storms that formed before Gabrielle, only Chantal made landfall.
