Good morning Firsthand Weather family,
Over these last few days, all eyes have been on Hurricane Sam in the deep tropics. Sam rapidly intensified into a strong category 4 hurricane over the weekend. It’s possible that Sam briefly made it to category 5 status but dipped back below that strength before recon aircraft could get there to take measurements.
The good news is that Sam will miss the United States. A long-wave trough will re-amplify over New England by the middle of the week. The trough will limit the western extent of the Bermuda ridge, allowing Sam to make a northward turn toward Bermuda (unfortunately 😔) over the weekend.
Sam recently was downgraded to a category 3 storm but then re-strengthened to low-end category 4 status today. Sea surface temperatures are plenty warm to allow the storm to re-strengthen further this week. Residents in Bermuda should keep a close watch on Sam and brace for potential impacts this weekend.
Written by: Matthew Holliday
Hopefully the worst of Sam will go east of Bermuda-but Bermuda will likely still experience significant effects from this compact but powerful hurricane.