MIDWAY, Fla. (WTXL) -- Hurricane Gonzalo became the strongest hurricane of the 2014 Atlantic season Wednesday, reaching peak winds speeds of 140 mph. Since late-afternoon Wednesday, maximum winds have decreased to 125 mph as the hurricane continues to move to the northwest at 10 mph. The forecast track takes Gonzalo more to the north in the next 36 hours, and perhaps closer to the island of Bermuda by Friday with a slight weakening trend. Into the weekend, Gonzalo will enter the northern Atlantic waters, where a gradual transition out of tropical phase is expected along with continued loss of strength.
Despite a couple of waves of moisture in the southern latitudes of the North Atlantic, and a frontal system across the Gulf of Mexico, there are no immediate concerns for near-term development of additional tropical systems in the next couple of days. Long-range indicators point to a mass of moisture in the southwestern Gulf over the weekend, possibly gaining some modest organization and the potential of it to traverse the Gulf toward the middle of next week. The forecast for the system is extremely unclear that far ahead, but it will be a forecast pattern that will be further monitored and analyzed.
