MIAMI — Hurricane Humberto formed in the Atlantic Ocean but is not currently threatening land as the former Hurricane Gabrielle passed Friday across the Azores, forecasters said.

Humberto is about 465 miles (750 kilometers) northeast of the northern Leeward Islands and is moving slowly toward the northwest. It is expected to strengthen substantially over the weekend to become a major hurricane, the Miami-based U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

Meanwhile, Gabrielle is churning as a post-tropical cyclone near the Azores, where a hurricane watch was in force for the entire Portuguese archipelago. Friday morning the storm was about 145 miles (230 kilometers) east-northeast of Faial Island in the central Azores.

Maximum sustained winds are near 65 mph (100 kph) with higher guests. The storm should begin gradual weakening on Saturday. Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 160 miles (260 kilometers). One observatory reported sustained winds of 78 mph (126 kph), which would be hurricane-level.

The hurricane center earlier declared Gabrielle post-tropical, a characterization that means the system lacks typical “tropical characteristics.” But the threat of severe weather impacts still remained through Friday.

Gabrielle was moving east-northeast at 29 mph (46 kph). It was expected to move away from the Azores and to approach mainland Portugal by Sunday.

In the Pacific Ocean, Hurricane Narda is churning as a Category 1 storm but could regain strength to Category 2. Narda is not threatening land and is expected to lose strength over the coming days.

SOURCE: AP News