It’s been a turbulent week for the Atlantic, as Hurricane Gabrielle—once a formidable Category 4 storm—barreled across the ocean before slamming into the Azores with rare and dangerous force. The storm, which underwent a dramatic transformation from tropical storm to major hurricane in less than 30 hours, left meteorologists and residents alike scrambling to prepare for its impact on the remote Portuguese archipelago and beyond.
According to the National Hurricane Center, Gabrielle was downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone as it approached the Azores on September 25, 2025, but this technical change did little to diminish the threat. The system, packing maximum sustained winds of 70 mph (110 kph) and racing east-northeast at 30 mph (48 kph), was expected to bring hurricane conditions—heavy rain, storm surge, and large, destructive waves—to the islands starting Thursday and continuing through Friday. As the Associated Press reported, Gabrielle was about 120 miles southwest of the Azores when the latest advisories were issued.
Red weather warnings were in effect, and the President of the Government of the Azores, José Manuel Bolieiro, ordered the closure of public services to protect lives and safety. "The absolute priority is to protect people's lives and safety," Bolieiro stated, emphasizing the seriousness of the situation (BBC).
Forecasters warned that up to 5 inches (13 centimeters) of rain could fall across the central Azores, with up to 3 inches (8 centimeters) in the eastern and western islands. The threat of flash flooding in the mountainous terrain loomed large, and hurricane-force wind gusts—potentially reaching up to 80 mph (130 km/h)—were likely to topple trees and disrupt power and transport networks. The Portuguese forecasting authority, IPMA, highlighted the risk of enormous waves, with heights expected to reach 14 to 18 meters (46 to 59 feet)—as tall as three double-decker buses stacked atop one another.
Gabrielle’s rapid intensification stunned experts. As detailed by The Weather Channel, the storm leapt from 75 mph winds (just above Category 1) to a Category 4 monster with 140 mph winds in under 30 hours. This rare burst of energy was fueled by unusually warm Atlantic waters, about 2°C above average. In fact, Gabrielle and Hurricane Erin earlier in the season were the only two hurricanes to undergo such explosive strengthening in 2025, a season that had otherwise been quiet until late September.
Fortunately, Gabrielle took a sharp turn eastward, sparing Bermuda and the U.S. from a direct hit. Instead, the storm raced across the Atlantic, setting its sights on the Azores and, ultimately, mainland Portugal. The New York Times noted that the last hurricane to hit the Azores was Gordon in 2012, making Gabrielle’s approach a rare and unsettling event for the islands’ roughly 250,000 residents.
As Gabrielle approached, the Azores Meteorological Service issued a rare hurricane warning for all islands, underscoring the severity of the threat. Public officials urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel, secure their properties, and stay tuned to official alerts. The islands, covering less than 1,000 square miles, braced for the possibility of widespread coastal flooding from storm surge and flash floods triggered by torrential rain.
Despite being downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone, Gabrielle retained much of its punch. As BBC explained, this transition occurs when a hurricane loses its traditional tropical characteristics and starts drawing energy from atmospheric temperature differences rather than warm ocean water. The storm’s interaction with an Atlantic weather front accelerated its forward speed to 32 mph (51 km/h), hastening its extratropical transition and making its impacts even more unpredictable.
After sweeping through the Azores, Gabrielle was forecast to continue toward mainland Portugal, Spain, and Morocco over the weekend. While the system was expected to weaken as it moved over cooler waters and lost its tropical structure, forecasters warned that wet and windy weather could still affect the Iberian Peninsula.
The Atlantic wasn’t the only ocean basin simmering with activity. On September 24, 2025, Tropical Storm Humberto formed near the Caribbean islands, located 470 miles (760 kilometers) east-northeast of the northern Leeward Islands. With maximum sustained winds of 60 mph (95 kph), Humberto was expected to become a hurricane by Friday and potentially a major hurricane by the weekend, according to senior hurricane specialist Brad Reinhart at the National Hurricane Center. The forecast kept Humberto’s center well offshore the United States, but a cluster of storms to its west dropped heavy rain on the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, tragically sweeping away a car and killing its driver in Yauco, Puerto Rico.
Forecasters were also keeping a close eye on a tropical disturbance near the Bahamas, which was predicted to become a tropical depression within a couple of days after September 25. The National Hurricane Center warned that the chances for wind, rain, and storm surge impacts on the southeastern U.S. coast were increasing. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) responded by urging residents in coastal areas of the Southeast U.S. to prepare and stay alert as the weather feature known as Invest 94L continued to develop. "FEMA urges residents to prepare now," the agency said, advising people to sign up for weather alerts and follow the directions of state and local emergency officials.
Meanwhile, in the Pacific, Hurricane Narda was churning about 700 miles (1,130 kilometers) southwest of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula, with sustained winds of 90 mph (150 kph). Narda was expected to restrengthen to a Category 2 hurricane by Friday, though no coastal watches or warnings were in effect as it continued moving further offshore. Still, swells generated by Narda threatened life-threatening surf and rip currents along parts of coastal Mexico and were expected to reach southern California over the weekend.
Adding to the global picture, the western Pacific was also seeing intense activity. Typhoon Bualoi was forecast to move across the Philippines within 36 hours from September 25, bringing damaging winds and flooding rain, with further landfalls expected in southern China and northern Vietnam over the weekend and into early next week. This followed the devastation left by Typhoon Ragasa in the region just days earlier.
Back in the Atlantic, the 2025 hurricane season has been notable for its late burst of activity. Gabrielle ended a 20-day lull since Tropical Storm Fernand became post-tropical on August 28. The season’s slow start, as The New York Times observed, had been attributed to “hostile” atmospheric conditions, but the recent spate of storms served as a stark reminder of how quickly the tropics can awaken.
For the Azores, the arrival of Gabrielle brought a rare and unwelcome visitor, testing the islands’ resilience and emergency preparedness. While the storm’s most intense winds and rains have passed, its legacy will linger as residents assess the damage and look ahead to the remainder of a hurricane season that, for now, shows no sign of quieting down.