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Hurricane Gabrielle rapidly intensified from a Category 1 to a Category 3 storm on Monday.

Rapid intensification is when a storm's winds increase by at least 34.5 mph in 24 hours.

Experts say this phenomenon is becoming more common due to warming oceans.

On Sunday afternoon, Hurricane Gabrielle formed in the Atlantic. National Hurricane Center forecasters said at 5 a.m. Monday that its maximum wind speed was 90 mph but they expected it to strengthen into a major Category 3 hurricane by the evening.

Four hours later, the NHC issued an alert that the Category 1 storm had spun up into a Category 3 with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph. Meteorologists had revised their forecast to say it might reach Cat 4 Monday night.

Why and how did the storm strengthen so qui

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