Satellite image of Hurricane Gabrielle.

Folks in the Azores late Monday were urged to keep a close eye on Hurricane Gabrielle, which attained Category 4 status with sustained gusts of 140 mph.

Gabrielle, which is traveling to the north-northeast, is moving away from the U.S. But the storm will generate potentially life-threatening surf from North Carolina to the north, including portions of Canada, over the next two days.

As of 5 p.m. EST on Monday, according to the National Hurricane Center, Gabrielle was still 2,005 miles west of the Azores, in the mid-Atlantic, and 180 miles east-southeast of Bermuda.

But the storm is expected to approach the Azores by Thursday.

"Interests in the Azores should monitor the progress of Gabrielle though it is too soon to specify the magnitude of potential wind, rainfall, and wave impacts," the National Hurricane Center cautioned.

Late Monday, Gabrielle was moving at 12 mph. But the storm is expected to gain speed Tuesday and Wednesday.

Gabrielle is not expected to intensify beyond Category 4 (130- to 156-mph winds). In fact, slight weakening is expected Tuesday, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The NHC will issue its next advisory at 8 a.m. Tuesday.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Hurricane Gabrielle now a Category 4 storm, Azores on alert

Reporting by Pete Thomas, For The Win / For The Win

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