( Globalsurfnews ) - As of 5:00 a.m. EDT, the area of low pressure that we have been tracking the past several days off the southeast coast of the United States has officially become Subtropical Storm Gabrielle. The current central pressure is 1011 mb and is located near 30.9 north and 73.5 west or 365 miles southeast of Cape Lookout, North Carolina. The system is now moving west-northwest at 12 mph. Estimated sustained winds are near 45 mph with gusts to near 60 mph.
All people living near and having interests along the east coast of the United States from Delaware to South Carolina should closely monitor this developing system. Regardless of where this system tracks we expect an increase in surf and dangerous rip currents along these coastal areas extending southward to the Florida coast during the weekend.
Landfall is expected along the North Carolina coast between Wilmington and Hatteras Sunday evening or Sunday night. The system's movement will be controlled by a large area of high pressure to the north. The center of this high will move eastward. This will allow a weakness to form along the western side of the surface ridge on Sunday. This weakness will cause the storm to move on a more northwesterly course toward the North Carolina coast. If the high moves eastward faster than expected the storm could curve sharper and miss the North Carolina coast. If the high does not move east quick enough the storm will track more westward making landfall farther south and causing the storm to move farther inland.