Storm Still at Category Two Strength

Beginning to encounter hostile environmental conditions, Hurricane Gaston weakened as expected on Monday. After becoming the first major hurricane of the 2016 Atlantic season on Sunday with 115 mile per hour winds, Gaston began to decay as expected in the Central Atlantic.

As of the 5:00 AM EDT Advisory from the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida, Gaston was located some 430 miles to the east of the resort island of Bermuda. The hurricane was moving slowly to the Northeast at 6 miles per hour. Maximum sustained winds with the storm are down to Category Two strength on the Saffir-Simpson Scale at 100 miles per hour.

Wind gusts are estimated to be at 120 miles per hour. Minimum central pressure with Gaston has risen to 971 millibars or 28.68 inches of Hg (Mercury). The storm has grown with hurricane force winds extending some 40 miles from the eye while tropical storm force winds reached out about 140 miles from the center. The storm is not expected to change much in intensity over the next two days.

Looking at the forecast track, Gaston has been well behaved up to this point with its motion coming as expected. The forecasted turn to the east on Monday did occur, and now it is anticipated to move in a general East-Northeast direction with an increase in forward speed over the next 48 to 72 hours. The storm could have some sort of impact on the Azores in the Northeastern Atlantic by this weekend.

Taking a look at the forecast discussion, Gaston is expected to continue moving over relatively warm waters in the Central Atlantic over the next 48 hours. As a result, the intensity is expected to remain at 100 miles per hour through Thursday. Beyond that though, Gaston is expected to move into cooler waters and encounter a mid to upper level trough and that will result in more of an influence from the westerlies. Within five days, Gaston is expected to weaken to a minimal tropical storm.