Tropical Storm Sam appears in the Atlantic Ocean. Cat 3 is expected by the end of the week.
The eighteenth tropical storm of the season, Tropical Storm Sam, has formed in the Atlantic Ocean. It will become a hurricane this Friday, faster than initially expected.
The National Hurricane Center expects Sam to strengthen into Category 3 Sunday morning as it approaches the Caribbean. Forecasters say some models suggest the storm could get more substantial than expected.
As of 11 a.m. Thursday, the system was moving west across the Atlantic at 16 mph, and its maximum winds had jumped from 35 mph to 50 mph. It was located about 1,745 miles east-southeast of the northern Leeward Islands.
The latest forecast calls for a stronger storm than initially expected, partly due to circulation in the storm's low-level winds lining up with the circulation of its medium-level winds. By Monday, meteorologists said Sam could have sustained 125 miles per hour winds, bringing it close to the 130 miles per hour needed for a Category 4 storm.
Models are still divided on whether the storm will take a southern or northern path as it shuts down in the Caribbean over the weekend, and a hurricane center map breaks down the difference a bit. The new route takes Sam closer to the Leeward Islands a little earlier.
The newly formed Tropical Storm Sam is expected to strengthen into a major Category 3 storm by the end of the week.
Meteorologists are also still observing the remains of Odette, about 600 miles west and northwest of the Azores.
"Rain and thunderstorms have increased slightly near the depression and could become a subtropical or tropical cyclone as it generally moves south over marginally warm waters over the next couple of days," the meteorologists wrote. "Strong upper-level winds are expected to develop over the system at the end of this week, which will limit its development."
The system had a 60% chance of configuring in the next 48 hours and for the upcoming days as of the 8 a.m. update.
The cyclone center is also tracking a new tropical wave that is expected to roll off the coast of Africa this weekend and move west at 10 to 15 mph. They gave him a 20% chance to evolve in the next five days.
What about Peter and Rose?
Peter has disappeared, and Rose is now a remnant depression about 1,300 miles west and northwest of the Cabo Verde Islands. The Hurricane Center says it will no longer issue public warnings about the system.
Peter and Rose fade, but Tropical Storm Sam is getting stronger as it heads west across the Atlantic. The National Hurricane Center is also tracking the remnants of Odette and a new tropical wave near Africa.
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