Overview

• Gabrielle held sustained winds near 50 mph as it moved west‑northwest in the central Atlantic roughly 1,070 km east of the northern Leeward Islands, according to NHC updates late Thursday into early Friday.
• Guidance points to a west‑northwest track with a turn north over the central Atlantic, with the NHC indicating a possible rise to hurricane strength by Sunday or Monday as environmental conditions become less hostile.
• Dry air and stronger upper‑level wind shear continue to limit near‑term intensification, and the NHC stresses low confidence in longer‑range track and intensity forecasts.
• Direct impacts to the U.S. mainland are not expected at this time, though elevated swells and dangerous rip currents are likely along portions of the East Coast next week.
• Interests in Bermuda and parts of the northeastern Caribbean should monitor updates, with forecasters noting potential for locally heavy rain in Bermuda, while a separate Invest 96E near southeast Mexico shows high development odds and is producing heavy rainfall in Guerrero and Oaxaca.