 After weakening to winds of 120 mph ( 190 km / h ) , Gert again re @-@ strengthened to Category 4 status on September 19 , as the eye became well @-@ organized within its surrounding convection following an eyewall replacement cycle . By September 20 , while the hurricane was approaching Bermuda , the appearance became more ragged due to the intrusion of unfavorable dry air . Early on September 21 Gert weakened to Category 2 intensity , around the same time it turned northward . Later that day it passed about 135 mi ( 217 km ) east of Bermuda , producing hurricane force winds on the island . Steady weakening continued as Gert accelerated northeastward under the influence of an approaching trough . The convection decreased around the center due to cooler water temperatures , and on September 23 Gert weakened to tropical storm status as it approached Newfoundland . After nearly all of the convection had dissipated , the system no longer met the characteristics of a tropical cyclone . As a result , it was declared extratropical at 1200 UTC on September 23 about 55 mi ( 90 km ) southeast of Cape Race , Newfoundland . About six hours later , the remnants of Gert were absorbed by a larger extratropical storm . Gert was the fourth of five Category 4 hurricanes to form during the 1999 season , the highest number of such storms on record . Later , the 2005 season tied the record . 
