Hurricane Gabrielle Threatens Portugal's Azores Islands: First Major Storm in Over a Decade

Hurricane Gabrielle Approaches the Azores

Portugal's Azores, a remote volcanic archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, are directly in Hurricane Gabrielle's projected path as the storm moves northeast this week. If it makes landfall, it will be the first hurricane in more than a decade to hit the island chain.

Gabrielle was "expected to move near the Azores in a couple of days," according to a bulletin on Tuesday from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Hurricane Center in Miami.

The bulletin said that the hurricane would begin approaching the island chain during the day on Thursday, and move across it overnight into Friday.

The Portuguese Institute for the Ocean and Atmosphere, a national research institute, reported on Tuesday that the storm would weaken over the coming days as it approached the archipelago.

Expected Impact and Warnings

"It is expected to weaken, hitting the region with tropical storm or Category 1 hurricane force winds," an update from the institute said.

The Azores Meteorological Service had issued a hurricane watch for all of the Azores, according to the National Hurricane Center. That warning is typically issued 48 hours before inclement weather from the storm’s system is expected.

Because the islands are small — less than 1,000 square miles in total — the odds are low that the storm will make a direct landfall, which is when the center of the hurricane crosses land.

Often, storms will move between the islands. But there have been four hurricanes to make landfall on the Azores, which lie about 1,000 miles west of mainland Portugal. The islands, a popular and picturesque tourist destination, have a population of less than 250,000 residents, according to the 2021 census.

The last hurricane to hit the Azores was Gordon in 2012. It caused minor flooding and power outages when it hit the easternmost of the islands, and there were no reports of injuries, according to The Associated Press.

Historical Context and Future Path

More than 20 hurricanes have approached the islands before weakening or moving through them since the late 1800s, when record keeping began, according to NOAA.

After moving through the Azores, Gabrielle is expected to continue on to mainland Portugal.

Judson Jones contributed reporting.