Hurricane Gabrielle has weakened considerably, but it is still a powerful hurricane as it progresses eastward across the Atlantic. The storm, which was a Category 4 as of Tuesday evening, has since dropped to a Category 2 with sustained winds of 100 mph.

The Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean are inactive, so it's fair to ask: Can Texas can stand down early, even with two months left in hurricane season?

Gabrielle has strengthened into the second major hurricane of the season as it approached Bermuda early this week. Additional tropical activity in the Atlantic is likely to increase soon, according to AccuWeather meteorologists,

Hurricane Gabrielle is continuing to barrel across the Central Subtropical Atlantic as a monster Category 4 hurricane on Tuesday morning. In addition to the threat of Hurricane Gabrielle, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) is also monitoring two other areas for potential tropical development in the Atlantic.

Hurricane Gabrielle has gotten its act together as it churns over the open waters of the central subtropical Atlantic, and forecasters say the storm has rapidly intensified into a major hurricane (Category 3 or higher).

At 8 p.m. Tuesday, the National Hurricane Center issued an advisory stating that Category 4 Hurricane Gabrielle is in the Atlantic Ocean, 445 miles east-northeast of Bermuda and 1,710 miles west of the Azores. Packing maximum sustained winds of 130 mph, the hurricane is tracking to the east-northeast at 20 mph.