HURRICANE SAM GROWS TO CATEGORY 4 STORM

Hurricane Sam strengthened into a Category 4 storm as it moved west across the Atlantic Ocean, forecasters said Saturday.

The hurricane was about 1,000 miles eastsoutheast of the northern Leeward Islands as of 5 p.m. Eastern time Saturday, moving about 10 mph, with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The Saffir-simpson scale classifies major hurricanes as Category 3 or higher, with maximum sustained winds above 110 mph. Category 4 storms have wind speeds of 130 to 156 mph.

The swells generated by the hurricane were forecast to reach the Lesser Antilles early next week and have the potential to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions, the center said.

Beyond the swells, it was “still too early to tell what impacts might occur in the United States,” Dennis Feltgen, a meteorologist at the hurricane center in Miami, said Saturday.

Sam, which formed Thursday in the central Atlantic, is the fourth named storm to develop in less than a week and the 18th overall in a busy 2021 Atlantic hurricane season.

“All folks need to do right now is check the latest forecast as we get into next week,” Feltgen said. He said people should ensure they have a hurricane plan, including supplies, in place.

Also Friday, Subtropical Storm Teresa formed north of Bermuda, becoming the 19th named storm of the hurricane season. Teresa has a small window to “intensify slightly,” but it is likely to dissipate today and also is not expected to threaten land, forecasters said.