Sept. 24 (UPI) — Tropical Storm Sam has strengthened into a hurricane in the Atlantic and is projected to become a major hurricane in the coming days, forecasters said Friday.
In its 5 a.m. EDT update, the National Hurricane Center said the storm was located about 1,470 miles southeast of the Northern Leeward Islands. It had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph and was moving west at 15 mph.
The NHC said that Sam is expected to rapidly intensify in the coming days.
“Rapid intensification is forecast to continue, and Sam is likely to become a major hurricane tonight or early Saturday,” the NHC said in its update Friday.
A storm becomes a major hurricane once it reaches Category 3, which has wind speeds of between 111 and 129 mph.
Sam is on a track that could impact the southeastern United States late next week or the week after.
Sam is the 18th named storm and the seventh hurricane of the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season.