Tropical Storm Sam swirled to life last week in the Atlantic Ocean — the 18th named system in a bustling season — and it is expected to intensify into a hurricane any moment from now.
The storm became bigger in the day with maximum sustained winds of about 70 mph. The National Hurricane Center says a bigger storm with additional strengthening is expected. The storm moved about 1,560 miles east-southeast of the northern Leeward Islands and west about 15 mph.
The chances of Tropical Sam whipping up into a major hurricane before moving towards the northern Caribbean islands next week are high. According to the Hurricane Center, Sam could become a major hurricane come Friday night or the early hours of Saturday as the storm intensifies and the winds increase.
Tropical storms develop into hurricanes when the maximum sustained winds hit at least 74 mph. This simply means that Sam is fast growing into a hurricane.
With the possibility of Sam developing into a hurricane, forecasters have urged Bermuda, the United States East Coast, and the Bahamas to remain as vigilant as possible to minimize the damage.
Scientists believe that this record-setting incessant storminess can be traced to a period of heightened hurricane activity that started in the year 2017 and that this may become increasingly common, especially now that the planet gets warmer.
Few coastal communities from certain coastal communities like Texas and Maine are yet to be touched by these cyclones.
On the other hand, Louisiana seems to be the target of these storms as it has been hit with two tropical storms and four hurricanes in less than two years. Other areas like Grand Isle and Lake Charles are still trying to recover from the storm which hit them more than once.
According to Weather.com, computer model forecasts have shown tropical Storm Sam moving away from the East Coast by next week due to a Bermuda high over the Atlantic and a southward plunge of the jet stream that could result in Sam moving north and northeast instead of westward toward the United States.
The forecasters also say that Sam mimics Hurricane Larry and kicking up dangerous surf and ripping currents along the Eastern Seaboard.
According to Phil Klotzbach, a hurricane researcher at Colorado State University, Tropical storm Sam is the 13th named storm to build up in the Atlantic since Aug. 11. He added that there had been only one other hurricane season on record, with 18 named storms by Sept. 23. In 2020, 23 storms were named as of September. 23.
Speaking on the hurricane, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), USA, urged people to be prepared for the hurricane season, especially those in high-risk places. They added that preparing for the hurricane season during the covid19 pandemic might be pretty stressful but needs to be done.
