Gonzalo is now an extratropical cyclone, and continues to move farther away from Newfoundland and over the cold waters of the northern Atlantic Ocean.
Gonzalo's winds reached 145 mph Thursday before falling to 125 mph late Friday morning, then 115 mph Friday afternoon. To compare, a hurricane reaches Category 5 status when its winds are 145 mph or higher.
Gonzalo was the first Category 4 hurricane in the Atlantic Basin since 2011, when Hurricane Ophelia reached maximum winds of 140 mph.
The storm will continue to send significant waves toward the Atlantic beaches. The swells will continue to build through Friday and Saturday and contribute to a higher-than-normal threat for rip currents. Wave heights will peak in the 4-foot to 6-foot range.
Hurricane Gonzalo Advisory
5 p.m. Gonzalo has become an extratropical cyclone.
Watches and Warnings
None
Discussion and 48-hour outlook
At 5 p.m., the center of Hurricane Gonzalo was located near latitude 51.6 north, longitude 41.8 west. Gonzalo is moving toward the northeast near 52 mph, and this motion is expected to continue today. A turn toward the east-northeast is forecast tonight, and this motion is expected to continue through Sunday night, with a steady decrease in speed Monday and Tuesday. Gonzalo will continue to move quickly away from Newfoundland and then race across the open northern Atlantic Ocean during the next couple of days.
Maximum sustained winds remains near 80 mph, with higher gusts. Gradual weakening is forecast during the next 48 hours.
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 115 miles from the center, and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 310 miles. The largest extend of tropical-storm-force and hurricane-force winds is to the south and east of the center, and some oil rigs have recently reported sustained hurricane-force winds well to the southeast of the center of Gonzalo.
The estimated minimum central pressure is 972 mb, or 28.71 inches.
Hazards affecting land
Surf: Coastal flooding will be possible in portions of southern Newfoundland this morning, with conditions subsiding this afternoon.
Large swells generated by Gonzalo will continue to affect portions of the Virgin Islands, the northern coasts of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, portions of the Bahamas, portions of the United States' East Coast, Bermuda and Atlantic Canada through today. These swells will likely cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.
Next advisory
No future advisories for Gonzalo