The islands of the Western and Central groups of the Azores will be under a red warning due to heavy rainfall, rough seas and wind, in effect from Thursday night, due to the approach of hurrican Gabrielle.
On the Flores and Corvo islands (Western group) the red warning for heavy rainfall is in effect between 9:00 pm on Thursday (10:00 pm in Lisbon) and 6:00 am on Friday.
The IPMA also issued a red warning for rough seas, for the period between 00:00 and 09:00 on Friday, with waves from the southwest, moving north, with the maximum wave reaching 14 to 18 meters.
As for the red wind warning for these two islands, it is in effect from 00:00 to 06:00 on Friday, blowing east from the east, turning to the north.
On the islands of Terceira, Faial, Pico, São Jorge and Graciosa, which make up the Central group, there is a red wind warning, in effect from 00:00 to 09:00 on Friday, with a southerly direction, turning to the northwest.
Winds are expected to be up to 180kmph.
The IPMA also issued a red warning for the same group, valid between 3:00 am and 12:00 pm on Friday, regarding rough seas, with waves from the southwest, changing to the northwest, with the maximum wave reaching 14 to 18 meters.
The Azores will be under the influence of Cyclone Gabrielle, which was located on Tuesday “approximately 2,640 kilometers west-southwest of the Western Azores Group”, moving northeast.
According to the Azores hurricane surveillance center, Gabrielle is currently classified as a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale (scale of 1 to 5, where 5 is the most severe category).
It is expected, however, that “as it approaches the Azores archipelago, it will lose intensity, hitting the region with tropical storm force or Category 1 hurricane winds,” said meteorologist Rita Mota.
The storm will then head to Portugal for Sunday, but will not affect Madeira.