Hurricane Gordon was a strong Category 3 hurricane that crossed the Azores as a Category 1 hurricane, making it the first hurricane to directly impact the Azores since 1991. Gordon's remnants also affected Western Europe. It was the eighth tropical storm, third hurricane and first major hurricane of the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season.
Storm history
The original development of this system can be linked to Hurricane Florence. It began as a tropical wave just right behind Florence in the first week of September, which at first was absorbed into the large circulation of then-Tropical Storm Florence. As Florence began to organize and move northwest, the wave managed to break from the circulation again and slowly organize in spite of hostile conditions at first. On September 10, it had organized enough to be declared Tropical Depression Seven northeast of the Lesser Antilles. With Florence far away from the system, conditions became more favorable for development, and it was upgraded to Tropical Storm Gordon on September 11 while moving slowly westward.
The conditions remained favorable as Gordon steered through a hole in the ridge near the Azores, allowing it to avoid land. It continued to strengthen, becoming a hurricane on September 12 and rapidly organizing into a strong Category 2 hurricane less than 24 hours later. The quick development continued on September 13, and by that evening, it had strengthened into a major hurricane - the first of 2006 - while maintaining a very small size. Gordon would remain a major hurricane for over 24 hours before cooler water began to set in and Gordon gradually weakened, beginning early on September 15.
The steering currents would also weaken greatly and Gordon became nearly stationary for about 24 hours as well before a trough would come in and push Gordon northeastward. By the morning of September 16, Gordon was barely a hurricane and was forecast to weaken over cooler waters. However, that did not happen, and Gordon actually strengthened a little bit while moving northeastward and became better organized. That trend continued for over 48 hours, and Gordon increased in strength slowly, becoming a Category 2 hurricane. While the forecast constantly showed a weakening trend, the resiliency suddenly meant that the Azores were threatened by Gordon. Gordon reached its secondary peak of 105 mph (165 km/h) on the morning of September 19, before weakening again.
Nonetheless, it remained a hurricane as it crossed the Azores. Shortly after that it weakened and became extratropical. The remnants of Gordon then began to interact with a large Atlantic low pressure area to the west of Ireland and an associated weather front extending south. It tracked towards the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula and then on September 21 turned northwards towards south-west Britain and Ireland. By the morning of September 22 it had become completely absorbed into the Atlantic low.
Preparations
Azores
With the onset of Gordon expected, all nine Azores Islands were placed on red alert by the Portuguese government, and residents were asked to take emergency precautions. The Meteorological Service of the Azores gave out hurricane warnings for all of the islands. The civil protection agency head Antonio Cunha closed all schools as a precautionary measure. Fishermen were also ordered to stay on land. Residents were warned to stay indoors, close doors and windows, clear storm sewers and move livestock to safe areas. Forecasters warned of winds as high as 105 mph (170 km/h), along with heavy rain and waves of up to 12 metres (40 ft) high lashing coastal areas.
Spain
In Spain, the region of Galicia was placed on red alert - the highest level - by authorities who were expecting the extratropical remnants of Gordon. Classes on September 21 were also stopped by the regional education ministry. 11 other regions of Spain, including as far east as Madrid and as far south as Andalusia, received lower levels of warning.
British Isles
Stormy conditions caused by the remnants of Gordon were expected to affect the 2006 Ryder Cup in Straffan, County Kildare, Ireland, starting fears that the event may be greatly interrupted and delayed. Strong gusts and heavy rain associated with another system had already caused some damages, resulting both teams to delay their second practice rounds. This led to concerns about the possible state of the course by the time the tournament proper was expected to start on September 22, leading to the possibility of further interruptions and possible changing of the normal rules. As a result, September 25 was set aside as an additional "reserve day" by organizers at the K Club.