Hurricane Gordon (2006)

Hurricane Gordon

Category 3 major hurricane (SSHWS/NWS)
Hurricane Gordon on September 14
Formed	September 10, 2006
Dissipated	September 24, 2006 (extratropical after September 20)
Highest winds	1-minute sustained: 120 mph (195 km/h)
Lowest pressure	955 mbar (hPa); 28.2 inHg
Fatalities	None
Damage	$3.8 million (2006 USD)
Areas affected	Azores, Iberian Peninsula, British Isles
Part of the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season

Hurricane Gordon was the first tropical cyclone since 1992 to affect the Azores while retaining tropical characteristics. The eighth tropical storm, third hurricane, and first major hurricane of the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season, Gordon formed on September 10 in the tropical Atlantic Ocean. It gradually matured into a hurricane as it tracked northward, reaching its peak intensity with winds of 120 mph (195 km/h) early on September 14 while located about 575 mi (925 km) southeast of Bermuda. After becoming nearly stationary, Gordon weakened to minimal hurricane status, although it re-intensified after accelerating to the east. It weakened again after moving over cooler waters, and passed through the Azores on September 20. Shortly thereafter, it became an extratropical cyclone and subsequently affected Spain, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.

The only land area affected while Gordon was tropical – the Azores – sustained little damage, in spite of wind gusts reaching hurricane force on Santa Maria Island. Impact was much more significant from the storm in its extratropical phase. In Spain, wind gusts reached 114 mph (183 km/h) along the northwest coast and left 100,000 people without power. Five people in the country sustained storm-related injuries. Further north, the storm brought a surge of tropical air to Ireland and the United Kingdom, contributing to record warm temperatures. In Northern Ireland, high winds left 120,000 people without power and caused one injury.

On September 1, a tropical wave exited the west coast of Africa and quickly showed signs of organization. It possessed a low pressure area and some convection as the system moved generally westward. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) first pinpointed the system as an area for potential development late on September 2 while it was about 750 mi (1,210 km) west-southwest of Cape Verde. However, an upper-level trough associated with the developing Hurricane Florence to its west increased wind shear across the region, which prevented significant tropical cyclone development over the next week. However, on September 5, the NHC noted the potential for the storm system to organize into a tropical depression within the next several days, but its close proximity to Florence continued to stall its strengthening. By September 9, the trough moved far enough away from the system to allow wind shear to relent, signalling an increase in convective thunderstorm activity. At around 1800 UTC that day, the system developed into a tropical depression about 540 mi (870 km) east-northeast of the Lesser Antilles.