Hurricane Sam bringing a rough surf weekend to East Coast

MIAMI — Beachgoers along the east coast of the United States should beware of life-threatening surf and rip currents this weekend as Hurricane Sam turns northward, the National Hurricane Center said Wednesday.

Forecasters expect the Category 4 hurricane to remain at sea, but with top wind of 130 mph, it’s already sending dangerous ocean swells to islands hundreds of miles away.

“Right now we’re not forecasting it to make landfall over any coastal locations, but it’s certainly a big hazard for ships at sea, and again those swells are impacting a large area of the western Atlantic,” National Hurricane Center senior specialist Richard Pasch said.

#GOESEast is monitoring several things over the Atlantic today. Major Hurricane #Sam is still churning near the Leeward Islands, and #SaharanDust is blowing off Africa just north of newly-formed #TD20.

Can you also spot the #SunGlint moving across the ocean? pic.twitter.com/NemAEL0yAW

— NOAA Satellites (@NOAASatellites) September 29, 2021

Sam was located about 455 mileseast of the northern Leeward Islands, traveling northwest at 9 mph, the Miami-based hurricane center said. Hurricane-force wind was extending outward 40 miles from its center, with top wind expected to grow to 140 mph in the coming days.

TROPICS: #Hurricane Sam is gaining strength and size and is forecast to pick up speed.#Tropical Storm Victor is still on track to move west-northwest and become a hurricane in the next day or two.

More on https://t.co/8z9UkXnu0U pic.twitter.com/SBkRDRZNfu

— WeatherNation (@WeatherNation) September 30, 2021

Forecasters said large swells are affecting the Leeward Islands and will spread to portions of the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, the Bahamas, and Bermuda by Thursday or Friday as the storm curves northward. Rough surf is expected along U.S. east coast beaches and Canada’s Atlantic provinces by the weekend.