Oct. 3 (UPI) — Hurricane Sam is weakening and expected to become a post-tropical low pressure system Monday.
In its 5 p.m. AST update, the National Hurricane Center said the storm was located over the Atlantic Ocean about 560 miles south of Cape Race, Newfoundland, with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph, a Category 2 storm. Sam is moving east-northeast at a speed of 16 mph.
The NHC said this general motion will increase in forward speed over the next couple of days, and transition to a powerful post-tropical cyclone Monday. It move well to the southeast and east of Newfoundland.
No coastal watches or warnings in effect, the forecast said. Swells generated by Same will impact the northern Leeward Islands, the Greater Antilles, the Bahamas, Bermuda, the eastern U.S. and Atlantic Canada for the next couple of days.
The major hurricane made a turn toward the northeast Friday. The agency earlier said Sam is forecast to weaken over the next few days, becoming a hurricane-force post-tropical low by Monday night or early Tuesday.
Sam is the 18th named storm and the seventh hurricane of the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season. A year ago, the “s” named storm, Sally, formed on Sept. 12.