Tropical Storm Gabriel is having a tough time getting itself together as it moves through the Central Atlantic. However, forecasters at the National Hurricane Center (NHC) still anticipate that it will strengthen into a hurricane by early next week.
Gabriel, which started off as Invest 92L and was later designated as Tropical Depression Seven, emerged on Wednesday, following a few weeks of tropical activity as part of the ongoing 2025 Atlantic hurricane season.
The NHC mentioned that “Gabriel continues to struggle,” consisting mainly of low-level cloud swirls and some deep convection in the northeast and southeast parts of the storm. They noted that this lack of structure is likely due to vertical wind shear in the western region and persistent dry air mixing with the circulation.
In the near future, the NHC expects conditions to remain unfavorable for further development, suggesting that Tropical Storm Gabriel might either lose strength or maintain its current level.
As of the latest update, Gabriel has maximum sustained winds of 50 mph, with some gusts. While changes in strength are not typically anticipated, a gradual increase in intensity is possible over the weekend.
By Thursday, the NHC projected that Gabriel could reach Category 1 hurricane status by Monday. At the moment, it is situated about 850 miles east of the northern Leeward Islands and is moving west-northwest at 15 mph.
The NHC expects the storm to keep on this west-northwest or northwest track for the next few days.
Currently, there are no expected direct impacts on the Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico, or the US East Coast. However, it’s advised that Bermuda keeps an eye on forecasts for any potential effects.
New tropical waves anticipated from Africa
The region monitoring potential tropical development west of the Cabo Verde Islands is still seeing scattered shower activity, but the NHC indicates that further development of this system is unlikely as it heads westward over the eastern and Central Atlantic Oceans.
Nonetheless, by Friday morning, new tropical waves are predicted to come off the West Coast of Africa.
The NHC mentioned that there could be slow development of this system over the weekend until the middle of next week, but it is expected to move west and northwest across the Central Atlantic.
The Atlantic hurricane season runs until November 30th.
