Monday, August 20, 2012

Hurricane Gordon churns across Azores

  • The Azores are roughly 950 miles (1,529 kilometers) west of Lisbon, Portugal
  • Hurricane Gordon is projected to weaken between the Azores and mainland Europe

(CNN) -- Hurricane Gordon churned across the eastern Azores early Monday after making landfall on the northern Atlantic islands, forecasters said.

The center of the storm is expected to pass between Santa Maria Island and San Miguel Island on Monday morning, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said. The Azores are roughly 950 miles (1,529 kilometers) west of Lisbon, Portugal.

"Swells generated by Gordon will cause dangerous surf and rip current conditions in the central and eastern Azores," the weather agency said.

As of Monday morning, the hurricane was moving east-northeast at about 20 mph (32 kph) and carried maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph).

Gordon was expected to weaken after leaving the Azores. A projection map shows the hurricane weakening to a tropical depression between the Azores and mainland Europe.