Wind shear slowly went down as the storm passed over the Gulf Stream, allowing strong thunderstorms to quickly form near the center, and at about 15:45 UTC, Tropical Storm Gabrielle hit the coast of North Carolina. It had winds possibly as strong as 60 mph (95 km/h) at time. The storm turned to the north and north-northeast, and re-entered the ocean on September 10. Gabrielle weakened to a tropical depression, and still kept scattered thunderstorms near it as it tracked along the northern part of the Gulf Stream. By midday on September 11, Gabrielle died out to the south of Canada. By early the next day, the remnants of Gabrielle were absorbed by another cold front.