On Wednesday morning in the central Atlantic Ocean, Tropical Storm Gabrielle developed, becoming the seventh tropical storm in Atlantic Hurricane season 2025 and breaking a near record of almost three weeks with no tropical activity in the middle of the hurricane season. The storm is not an immediate threat to the land, and its projected route keeps it out of the populated places in the next five days.
Storm breaks Atlantic drought period
Tropical Storm Gabrielle formed on Wednesday and is forecast to become a hurricane in the Atlantic, but there is no immediate threat to land, according to the National Hurricane Center, which was also tracking two more systems, according to the Tampa Bay Times. As of the center’s 5 p.m. EDT advisory, the season’s seventh named storm was located about 990 miles east of the Caribbean’s northern Leeward Islands with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph headed north-northwest at 14 mph.
“An erratic northwestward toย west-northwestward motion at a reduced forward speed is anticipated across the tropical and subtropical central Atlantic during the next few days,” forecasters said. Its forecast path keeps it away from land over the next five days, the center said on Wednesday. Gabrielle is the first tropical storm in the Atlantic since Fernand fizzled on August 28.
Hurricane development expected by the weekend
“Little strengthening is anticipated over the next 48 hours as Gabrielle faces an unfavorable shear environment from an upper-level trough and a possible center re-formation, and the forecast intensity remains nearly steady through Friday,” forecasters said. “By this weekend, a more conducive environment is anticipated, which should allow for gradual intensification.” Long-term projections have it growing into a Category 1 hurricane by Sunday, which would be only the second hurricane of the season.
The National Hurricane Centerย forecast calls for Gabrielle to become a hurricane by Sunday as it travels northwest, according to CNN. Although the water is plenty warm for strengthening, the storm faces some hurdles in the atmosphere over the next couple of days, so it’s still uncertain how strong it could become. The United States is not expected to see direct impacts from this system, but it might churn up surf on the East Coast next week.
Additional systems being monitored
“The development of this system breaks a nearly three-week streak of no tropical cyclones in the Atlantic basin during the peak of the hurricane season,” said NHC senior hurricane specialist John Cangialosi. The center was also tracking two more systems in the eastern tropical Atlantic. As of the 2 p.m. EDT tropical outlook, the closer of the two was a tropical wave near the Cape Verde Islands, producing an area of disorganized showers and thunderstorms.
“Environmental conditions are only marginally conducive, and any development of this system should be slow to occur while it moves westward at 15 to 20 mph across the eastern and central portion of the tropical Atlantic,” forecasters said. The system is expected to bring heavy rain to the Cape Verde Islands through Thursday. The hurricane center on Wednesday gave it a 10% chance to develop in the next two days, and a 20% chance in the next seven days. With the new depression, the season has had only seven official storms. The most recent, Tropical Storm Fernand, petered out by the end of August.
Tropical Storm Gabrielle’s formation marks a significant break in the Atlantic’s unusual quiet period during what is typically the most active part of hurricane season. While the storm is expected to strengthen into a hurricane by Sunday, its trajectory keeps it safely away from land areas, providing relief for coastal communities still recovering from previous seasons. The late formation highlights the unpredictable nature of tropical weather patterns during this active period.