Hurricane Gabrielle (1989)

Hurricane Gabrielle

Category 4 major hurricane (SSHWS/NWS)
Hurricane Gabrielle near peak intensity
Formed	August 30, 1989
Dissipated	September 13, 1989
Highest winds	1-minute sustained: 145 mph (230 km/h)
Lowest pressure	937 mbar (hPa); 27.67 inHg
Fatalities	9 direct
Areas affected	Leeward Islands, Bermuda, East Coast of the United States, and Atlantic Canada
Part of the 1989 Atlantic hurricane season

Hurricane Gabrielle was a powerful tropical cyclone that caused nine fatalities in the United States and Canada, despite remaining hundreds of miles offshore. The tenth tropical cyclone, seventh named storm, and third hurricane of the 1989 Atlantic hurricane season, Gabrielle developed on August 30 from a tropical wave near the west coast of Africa. Under favorable conditions, the depression intensified and became Tropical Storm Gabrielle early on the following day. Rapid strengthening occurred thereafter, with Gabrielle reaching hurricane intensity early on September 1. After becoming a hurricane, further intensification was steady, though by September 5, Gabrielle peaked as a moderate Category 4 hurricane. On the following day, Gabrielle began to slowly level-off in intensity, while gradually curving northward. After weakening to a Category 2 hurricane, the storm passed east of Bermuda on September 8.

Gabrielle eventually decelerated, and by early on September 10, it curved westward and weakened to a tropical storm. Gabrielle re-curved northeastward on September 11 and began paralleling Nova Scotia. It further weakened to a tropical depression on September 12 and was then absorbed by a developing storm near Newfoundland on September 13. Due to its large size, Gabrielle produced swells and high tides in the Lesser Antilles, Bermuda, the East Coast of the United States, and Atlantic Canada. Rough seas along the East Coast of the United States caused one fatality in Maine, two in Massachusetts, one in New Jersey, and four in New York. In Nova Scotia, large waves swept one man to sea and eventually caused his drowning.

A tropical wave moved off the coast of Africa on August 28 and entered into the Atlantic Ocean. Initially, the wave had moderate amounts of deep convection and was already well organized, which allowed it to quickly become a tropical cyclone. Based on ship reports, the wave was classified as Tropical Depression Ten beginning at 1200 UTC on August 30. Located 1,000 miles (1,609 km) southeast of Tropical Storm Felix, the depression tracked westward as a high pressure ridge formed between the two storms. Satellite imagery showed the depression developing a good outflow pattern. As a result, the National Hurricane Center upgraded the depression to Tropical Storm Gabrielle on August 31. It was noted that by as early as 1200 UTC later that day, Gabrielle was already rather large and well-defined. Gabrielle continued to move westward at 17 mph (27 km/h), and by early on September 1, the storm was upgraded to a hurricane. However, the storm was not operationally upgraded to a hurricane until late on September 2; Gabrielle was then located about 625 miles (1006 km) west of Cape Verde.