MIAMI — The former Hurricane Gabrielle was expected to bring hurricane conditions including heavy rain, a storm surge and large, destructive waves to the Azores islands starting Thursday, despite being downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone, forecasters said.

The National Hurricane Center declared Gabrielle post-tropical, a characterization that simply means the system lacks typical “tropical characteristics.” But the threat of severe weather impacts still remained through Friday.

Gabrielle was about 120 miles (193 kilometers) southwest of the Azores, according to the latest advisory from the weather center. It had maximum sustained winds of 70 mph (110 kph) and was traveling east-northeast east at 30 mph (48 kph).

Swells expected to produce coastal flooding, life-threatening surf and ri

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