Hurricane Gabrielle (1989)

Hurricane Gabrielle (1989)

Hurricane Gabrielle was a deadly 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.