The formation of Storm Gabrielle last week marked the first named storm over the Atlantic in weeks. It strengthened on Monday to become a category 4 hurricane with sustained winds over 135mph (217km/h). Ocean swells generated by Hurricane Gabrielle reached Bermuda on Sunday and were affecting the US East Coast up to Canada’s Atlantic coast. Meteorologists warned the swells would likely create “life-threatening” conditions.
“Wind and/or wave conditions support dangerous rip currents. Rip currents are life-threatening to anyone entering the surf,” the US agency National Weather Service (NWS) said. Much of Florida’s East Coast is currently under a high-risk warning for rip currents, including the beaches around Port St Lucie, Palm Bay, Melbourne, Palm Coast and Jacksonville.
If caught in a rip current, the NWS advised: “Remain calm to conserve energy and think clearly. Never fight against the current. Think of it like a treadmill that cannot be turned off, which you need to step to the side of. Swim out of the current in a direction following the shoreline. When out of the current, swim at an angle – away from the current – towards shore. If you are unable to swim out of the rip current, float or calmly tread water. When out of the current, swim towards shore. If you are still unable to reach shore, draw attention to yourself by waving your arm and yelling for help.”
So far this season, the east Pacific has seen more tropical storms and hurricanes than the Atlantic. While the Atlantic hurricane season has been relatively quiet for a variety of reasons, the region has now entered the peak period of hurricane activity.
Predicting where a hurricane can hit five days or so ahead can be very difficult. However, Gabrielle is on course to speed towards Europe, specifically Portugal’s Azores, where locals have been urged to take precautions to minimise any destruction.
While the hurricane isn’t predicted to cause primary damage across the UK, its remnants will likely result in a wet and windy weekend. A band of rain is expected to move in from the west on Friday night and into Saturday, but it will gradually ease by Sunday, with many eastern areas of the UK likely to remain dry.
According to the National Hurricane Center the hurricane appears to have reached peak intensity.