Tracking The Tropics: Hurricane Sam and Tropical Storm Victor
MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- Hurricane Sam remains a category 4 as it tracks northwestward over the Atlantic Ocean this Thursday.
Sam has remained a major hurricane for 5 days, so far. This makes Hurricane Sam the longest-lived major hurricane to form on or after September 23rd since Hurricane Matthew back in 2016.
Hurricane Sam is forecast to remain a major hurricane at least through Saturday.
Sam is located about 300 miles northeast of the Northern Leeward Islands Thursday. Even though the hurricane is staying away from the Caribbean, Sam is producing large swells, rough seas, and dangerous rip currents that are reaching the Caribbean, Bahamas, and Bermuda.
These large swells will even reach the U.S. East Coast by this weekend even though Sam stays far away.
Hurricane Sam is expected to turn towards the north then to the northeast direction the next few days and curve out over the central Atlantic Ocean and staying well east of Bermuda.
Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Victor is located over 500 miles southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands this Thursday with the possibility for further strengthening before the weekend, when it is forecast to gradually weaken.
Victor is forecast to intensify to a hurricane later on Friday but will not impact land as it is expected to turn to the northerly direction over the central Atlantic Ocean.
Tropical Storm Victor is the 20th named storm of the season and that leaves one name left on the list of Atlantic Hurricane Storm Names. The last name on the list is Wanda.
Hurricane season runs through November 30th, so if more storms form and the list is exhausted, which it almost is, then the National Hurricane Center will use the supplemental list of storm names that replaced the Greek alphabet. Click here for the names on the supplemental list.
