One thing is for sure: Hurricane Gordon will be pounding the Azores [WikiPedia] today and tonight. Fortunately, the latest statement from the NHC center took his winds down from 100 mph down to 85 mph (after three increases in the past two days).

See below for historical information about tropical systems passing through the Azores.

But where does he go after that? The NHC was showing Gordon making landfall in northwest Spain as a Tropical Storm and I wish I had saved the image because their latest track map has it still off the coast when they stop forecasting the movement. The "Tropical Storm Winds Probability Map" from the Pro site (using NHC data) is consistent with that track:

The AccuWeather.com Forecast EyePath shown below has the storm pointed towards Spain, but we're not forecasting what the remnants will do after tomorrow.

And the models? The Model Spread [JessePedia] takes the storm anywhere from Iceland to Africa, sometimes looping the storm in circles:

HISTORY OF TROPICAL SYSTEMS PASSING THROUGH THE AZORES:

It was tough finding historical information about storms that have crossed the islands because they are often used as a storm locator, being the only islands in the northeast Atlantic. I could only find one definite record of a hurricane passing over the islands and that was Emmy in 1976. Damage reports were not available but the storm downed a plane, killing 68 people. Here is a list of what I found; if you have more, drop me an email:

- 1998: Tropical Storm (formerly Hurricane) Karl: No Information Available [WikiPedia]
- 1995: Extratropical Storm (formerly Hurricane) Tanya: Heavy Damage, 30 Deaths [WikiPedia]
- 1992: Hurricane Bonnie: No Damage or Casualties [WikiPedia]\
- 1992: Hurricane Charlie
- 1991: Extratropical Storm (formerly Tropical Storm) Erika: No Damage or Casualties [WikiPedia
- 1990: Tropical Storm Edouard: Light Damage, No Casualties [WikiPedia]
- 1976: Hurricane Emmy/Tropical Storm Frances: Downed Plane, Killing 68 [WikiPedia]
- 1961: Hurricane Debbie (see this blog entry for more info)
- 1959: Hurricane Hannah (85-knot winds)
- 1959: Hurricane Flora
- 1957: Hurricane Carrie
- 1932: Unnamed Hurricane
- 1926: Unnamed Hurricane (100 knot winds)
- 1893: Unnamed Hurricane (85-knot winds)
- 1889: Unnamed Hurricane
- 1889: Unnamed Hurricane
- 1857: Unnamed Hurricane: Extreme Damage (No official record, see images below) [CSUSTAN]

In their book "Hurricane Havens Handbook for the North Atlantic Ocean: PONTA DELGADA, AZORES", the Navy presents some general climatology which summarizes the tropical (and extratropical) cyclone activity in the Azores well. Unfortunately that text is dated 1984, but at that time said "The hurricane season for the Azores is August through November. Primary activity has been in September with seven near passages of tropical cyclones, and in August and October with four each. [However] the most severe winds on record in the last 50 years (120 mph/104 kt) occurred during a 1981 winter storm."

MAPS: (This section was added on 9/22/06)

If you want to know how many tropical, subtropical or extratropical depressions, storms and hurricanes have ever hit the Azores, it's quite a list. Here are links to maps I pulled from the NOAA Historical Hurricane GIS system:

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