Hurricane Sam rides off into the sunset after long, powerful run
By
Courtney Travis, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Updated Oct 4, 2021 4:28 AM EST
The above satellite image shows Hurricane Sam churning northeast of Bermuda on the morning of Saturday, October 2. At the time, Sam was still a Category 4 hurricane and had remained a major hurricane for a week. (Photo/RAMMB NOAA)
The monster cyclone kept meteorologists and casual observers alike captivated for days with its remarkable power and breathtaking visuals -- all made better by the fact that it posed no direct threat to land.
Sam first became a tropical storm back on Thursday, Sept. 23, over the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The storm quickly underwent what meteorologists call "rapid intensification", where the storm's maximum sustained winds increased by 35 mph or more in 24 hours. This allowed Sam to become a hurricane less than one day after becoming the eighteenth named tropical system in the Atlantic Basin this season.
Ever since, Sam has retained hurricane status, surpassing the eight-day mark on Friday. During this long stretch of hurricane status, the storm has fortunately remained well away from land masses. At its closest, the center of Hurricane Sam was still 210 miles east of Bermuda very early on Saturday morning. The intense, yet rather compact storm, this far away from Bermuda brought some rough seas and surf to the Bermuda Islands, but, fortunately, not much else in the way of impacts.
But just because the storm didn't make landfall, doesn't mean Sam hasn't been impressive.
Sam has produced stunning images of picture-perfect hurricane eyes and clearly defined swirling clouds, and underwent several processes such as rapid intensification and a few eyewall replacements. The long-lived storm gave Hurricane Hunters the opportunity to fly through the storm, and for an ocean drone through the storm's eye for the very first time.
Sam reached major hurricane status, a Category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 111 mph or greater, by the 11 a.m. EDT advisory from the National Hurricane Center on the morning of Sept. 25, less than 48 hours after becoming a named tropical system. A full week later, Sam was still a major hurricane. Several times, Sam's sustained winds reached 150 mph, just 7 mph shy of being designated as a Category 5 hurricane. Its long reign as a major hurricane came to an end on Sunday morning at 5 a.m. EDT.
The NHC also noted in their 11 a.m. Saturday discussion that Sam has climbed into the top 10 of consecutive days as a Category 3 hurricane or greater, similar to that of Hurricane Matthew in 2016.
Sam tied Edouard from 1996, which was the fifth longest-lasting major hurricane to ever churn in the Atlantic. Edouard and Sam both spent 186 straight hours, or seven and three-quarter days, as a major hurricane.
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By holding onto major hurricane status for so long, Sam's intensity now has become the biggest contributor to this season's Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) in the Atlantic basin.
As of Oct. 4, the total ACE for the Atlantic basin was up to 137.6, according to Colorado State University. Sam has contributed 51.8, which is 38 percent of the season's total ACE so far, surpassing the previous long-lived leader in the basin, Hurricane Larry.
Sam's ACE contribution is likely to climb even more, with the storm not forecast to dissipate for a few more days. Meanwhile, AccuWeather meteorologists will continue to keep an eye on Victor and other possible tropical systems as the third-most-active hurricane month continues.
For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, DIRECTVstream, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeatherNOW is streaming on Roku and XUMO.
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News / Hurricane
Hurricane Sam rides off into the sunset after long, powerful run
By Courtney Travis, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Updated Oct 4, 2021 4:28 AM EST
The above satellite image shows Hurricane Sam churning northeast of Bermuda on the morning of Saturday, October 2. At the time, Sam was still a Category 4 hurricane and had remained a major hurricane for a week. (Photo/RAMMB NOAA)
The monster cyclone kept meteorologists and casual observers alike captivated for days with its remarkable power and breathtaking visuals -- all made better by the fact that it posed no direct threat to land.
Sam first became a tropical storm back on Thursday, Sept. 23, over the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The storm quickly underwent what meteorologists call "rapid intensification", where the storm's maximum sustained winds increased by 35 mph or more in 24 hours. This allowed Sam to become a hurricane less than one day after becoming the eighteenth named tropical system in the Atlantic Basin this season.
Ever since, Sam has retained hurricane status, surpassing the eight-day mark on Friday. During this long stretch of hurricane status, the storm has fortunately remained well away from land masses. At its closest, the center of Hurricane Sam was still 210 miles east of Bermuda very early on Saturday morning. The intense, yet rather compact storm, this far away from Bermuda brought some rough seas and surf to the Bermuda Islands, but, fortunately, not much else in the way of impacts.
But just because the storm didn't make landfall, doesn't mean Sam hasn't been impressive.
Sam has produced stunning images of picture-perfect hurricane eyes and clearly defined swirling clouds, and underwent several processes such as rapid intensification and a few eyewall replacements. The long-lived storm gave Hurricane Hunters the opportunity to fly through the storm, and for an ocean drone through the storm's eye for the very first time.
Sam reached major hurricane status, a Category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 111 mph or greater, by the 11 a.m. EDT advisory from the National Hurricane Center on the morning of Sept. 25, less than 48 hours after becoming a named tropical system. A full week later, Sam was still a major hurricane. Several times, Sam's sustained winds reached 150 mph, just 7 mph shy of being designated as a Category 5 hurricane. Its long reign as a major hurricane came to an end on Sunday morning at 5 a.m. EDT.
The NHC also noted in their 11 a.m. Saturday discussion that Sam has climbed into the top 10 of consecutive days as a Category 3 hurricane or greater, similar to that of Hurricane Matthew in 2016.
Sam tied Edouard from 1996, which was the fifth longest-lasting major hurricane to ever churn in the Atlantic. Edouard and Sam both spent 186 straight hours, or seven and three-quarter days, as a major hurricane.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
By holding onto major hurricane status for so long, Sam's intensity now has become the biggest contributor to this season's Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) in the Atlantic basin.
As of Oct. 4, the total ACE for the Atlantic basin was up to 137.6, according to Colorado State University. Sam has contributed 51.8, which is 38 percent of the season's total ACE so far, surpassing the previous long-lived leader in the basin, Hurricane Larry.
Sam's ACE contribution is likely to climb even more, with the storm not forecast to dissipate for a few more days. Meanwhile, AccuWeather meteorologists will continue to keep an eye on Victor and other possible tropical systems as the third-most-active hurricane month continues.
In other weather news:
For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, DIRECTVstream, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeatherNOW is streaming on Roku and XUMO.
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