Gabrielle becomes at Category 4 hurricane

MIAMI —

People in the Azores archipelago were advised Monday to monitor the progress of Hurricane Gabrielle, which is now a Category 4 hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean, the National Hurricane Center said.

Gabrielle had maximum sustained winds of 140 mph on Monday afternoon as it skirted to the east-southeast of Bermuda, according to a hurricane center advisory. It was centered 180 miles away from Bermuda and moving to the north-northeast at 12 mph. Advertisement

The major hurricane was still over 2,000 miles west of the Azores; however, forecasters project that the system will continue to the north and east over the next several days. The hurricane could approach the islands by the end of the week.

Forecasters said in the advisory that little change in wind strength was expected from G