Hurricane Sam, small but mighty, swirls offshore in Atlantic

This satellite image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Hurricane Sam, just right of center, in the Atlantic Ocean, Monday, Sept. 27, 2021, at 1920 Zulu (3:20 p.m. ET). Sam is a powerful Category 4 storm but it poses no threat to land as it loops northward in the Atlantic, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. (NOAA via AP) (Uncredited)

MIAMI – Hurricane Sam was a powerful Category 3 storm in the Atlantic Ocean on Monday but was centered well offshore and posed no threats to land, though it could generate dangerous rip currents.

Sam is located about 700 miles (1,127 kilometers) east of the northern Leeward Islands and is traveling northwest at 9 mph (14 kph), the U.S. National Hurricane Center said in a late-afternoon advisory.

Recommended Videos



Its maximum sustained winds dropped to 120 mph (193 kph) Monday afternoon, making it a Category 3 hurricane. Forecasters said there would be little change in its strength over the next day or so, followed by a slow weakening. Sam is expected to remain a major hurricane through midweek.

The Miami-based hurricane center said Sam was a small tropical cyclone, with hurricane-force winds extending outward just 30 miles (48 kilometers) from its center.

No coastal watches or warnings were in effect. But swells from Hurricane Sam could cause dangerous rip current conditions off the coast of the Lesser Antilles early this week, forecasters said.