It moved west-northwestward under the influence of the subtropical ridge to its north, and steadily strengthened in an area of warm sea surface temperatures and light wind shear.

A strong storm surge associated with the hurricane killed four people crossing a causeway on Bermuda, temporarily closing the only link between two islands.

The endangered Bermuda petrel, better known as the cahow, was threatened by the hurricane, which destroyed ten nests, although volunteer work transported the species to a safer location.

Strong swells resulted in damage in northern Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, and also caused four people to drown along the United States' Atlantic coast.

[1][5] Early on August 27, convection again increased and consolidated near the center, and later that day the wave developed into Tropical Depression Ten while located 420 miles (680 km) west of the Cape Verde islands.

Moving westward into an area of warm waters and low vertical shear, the depression steadily intensified, and was named Tropical Storm Fabian on August 28 as convection increased and banding features became more prominent.

[1][6] Banding features and outflow continued to develop as a ring of convection formed around the center of Fabian,[7] and on August 30, the storm intensified into a hurricane while gradually slowing its motion to the west-northwest.

[1] Deep convection became very concentric around the 11.5 miles (18.5 km) wide eye, and the hurricane reached winds of 125 mph (201 km/h) early on August 31.

Fabian reached its peak intensity of 145 mph (233 km/h) on September 1 while located 345 miles (555 km) east of the northern Lesser Antilles.

[13] The hurricane turned to the northwest on September 2 in response to a weakness in the subtropical ridge, a break caused by a mid-level circulation over the southwest Atlantic Ocean.

[1] As small pockets of dry air became entrained in the eyewall, Fabian weakened slightly,[14] passing just 14 miles (23 km) west of Bermuda on September 5 as a 120 mph (190 km/h) Category 3 hurricane.

[1] Steady weakening occurred as the hurricane moved into an area of increasing wind shear, drier air, and progressively cooler waters.

[15] On September 8, while located 680 miles (1,090 km) east-northeast of Cape Race, Newfoundland, Fabian transitioned into an extratropical storm, with no deep convection remaining near the center.

[1] Several days prior to Fabian striking Bermuda, computer models forecast a ridge of high pressure forcing the hurricane to the west of the island by 200 miles (320 km).

[23] The arrival of Fabian forced the cancellation or delay of several sports events, including a cricket match, a football game, and a dinghy race.

[25] Strong swells and high tides produced large waves on the north coast of Puerto Rico, washing out beaches in various locations.

The three ventured the vessel through tornadoes and 20-foot (6.1 m) waves, which dropped several feet of water in the ship; ultimately they safely arrived at Hamilton Harbour.

[31] Strong winds from the hurricane damaged several landmark buildings, including the House of Assembly and the City Hall,[22] both in Hamilton, and the former military headquarters in St. George's.

[39] The strong winds blew down hundreds of trees, caused severe damage to vegetation,[17] and destroyed many of the island's indigenous plants.

[32] The storm surge from the hurricane stranded one vehicle with three police officers and another with a resident on the causeway between St. George's Parish and St. David's Island.

The United States Coast Guard and Bermuda police divers mounted a full-scale search for the missing people during the worst of the storm.

[43] High winds and surf tore off the causeway's side walls and greatly damaged the structure,[22] temporarily closing it to automobile traffic.

[45] Fabian produced moderate surfing conditions along the East Coast of the United States, primarily from Georgia to North Carolina.

[46] Three deaths were reported in the north Atlantic when a ship, The Pacific Attitude, sank south of Newfoundland in the Grand Banks due to strong waves of over 60 feet (18 m) in height.

[1][47] Blocked roads initially caused delays to crews from the Bermuda Electric Light Company Limited (BELCO), which were attempting to restore power to the island.

Days after the hurricane passed, moisture from Tropical Storm Henri resulted in thunderstorms and heavy rainfall; this hindered recovery efforts, but did not cause any reported damage.

To help, the South Carolina Maritime Heritage Foundation, with support from a Boy Scout troop and nearby nurseries, delivered 1,000 boxwood plants to the island.

[53] A memorial to the four Bermudians whose lives were claimed by Hurricane Fabian was erected near the Causeway's east end by the airport, where the 10th anniversary of their deaths was remembered by government officials in September 2013.

[54] The onslaught of Hurricane Gonzalo in October 2014 prompted a catastrophe modeller to revisit Fabian's destruction, concluding that had it struck in 2014, it would have caused around US$650 million in damage.

[55] Due to the storm damage and deaths in Bermuda, the World Meteorological Organization retired the name Fabian in the spring of 2004, and it will never again be used for a North Atlantic tropical cyclone.