A ROBOTIC surfboard created by Salindrone captured incredible footage from inside Hurricane Sam at a Category 4 status as Tropical Storm Victor formed.
“Saildrone is going where no research vessel has ever ventured, sailing right into the eye of the hurricane, gathering data that will transform our understanding of these powerful storms,” said Richard Jenkins, Saildrone founder and CEO.
“Using data collected by saildrones, we expect to improve forecast models that predict rapid intensification of hurricanes,” said Greg Foltz, a NOAA scientist.
The storm, which is the 18th named one of the season, became a Category 4 on Sunday and briefly weakened to a Category 3 on Monday before strengthening back to a 4 on Tuesday and maintaining that status through Thursday.
Sam strengthened into a hurricane shortly before 5am on Friday morning, and is expected to pose no threat to land other than rip currents on the US east coast.
Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Victor formed southwest of the Cape Verde islands, far from land, and was expected to become a minimal hurricane Friday night before dissipating in the central Atlantic Ocean, the hurricane center said.
By 10.45pm ET on Friday night, the National Hurricane Center called Victor "disorganized" and noted that the storm was "weakening over the eastern tropical Atlantic."
Read our Hurricane Sam live blog for the latest news and updates…
- Danielle Cinone
FLYING THROUGH THE EYE
Check out this footage from the flight investigating Hurricane Sam.
- Danielle Cinone
HURRICANE SAM PICTURED FROM SPACE
NASA's Space Station captured an impressive photo of Hurricane Sam.
- Danielle Cinone
SAM COULD STILL BE HURRICANE EARLY NEXT WEEK
Hurricane Sam, which is not a threat to land, could still be a hurricane in the early part of next week, WAFB meteorologist Jay Grymes reports.
- Danielle Cinone
HURRICANE SAM'S PATH
At 8pm on Friday, Hurricane Sam was east-southeast of Bermuda.
- Danielle Cinone
WHEN IS THE 2021 HURRICANE SEASON?
Hurricane season officially starts June 1, 2021, and will last through November 30.
Of the 13 to 21 named storms, six to 10 could become hurricanes with winds of 74 miles per hour or higher, according to the government agency.
- Danielle Cinone
MAJOR HURRICANES OF THE 2000’S
Some of the major storms and hurricanes since 2000 include:
- Tropical Storm Allison (2001)
- Hurricane Isabel (2003)
- Hurricane Charlie (2004)
- Hurricane Jeanne (2004)
- Hurricane Dennis (2005)
- Hurricane Katrina (2005)
- Hurricane Rita (2005)
- Hurricane Ike (2008)
- Hurricane Sandy (2012)
- Hurricane Maria (2017)
- Hurricane Dorian (2019)
- Hurricane Zeta (2020)
- Tropical Storm Eta (2020)
- Tropical storms Amanda and Cristobal (2020)
- Tropical Storm Claudette (2021)
- Tropical Storm Henri (2021)
SATELLITE VIEW
Take a look at this satellite view of impressive Hurricane Sam.
RIP CURRENT ADVISORIES
This graphic provides safety tips as Hurricane Sam threatens the east coast with rip currents.
SWELLS EXPECTED
"Swells from Sam are expected to affect the Caribbean, Bermuda, the Bahamas, the Eastern US coast & Atlantic Canada this weekend," the National Hurricane Center wrote to Twitter.
- Danielle Cinone
'RARE TERRITORY'
Meteorologist Jake Carstens tweeted: "With the latest advisory holding at 150 mph, #Sam enters some rare territory.
"It's now the 8th Atlantic storm in the Satellite Era (since 1966) to be a Category 4 or stronger hurricane for 5 days or more."
- Danielle Cinone
150MPH WINDS
Hurricane Sam has been centered in the Atlantic ocean and is making it's way north with 150mph winds.
The storm remains a category 4 storm, but it will start to lessen in wind and intensity throughout the weekend.
- Danielle Cinone
HURRICANE SAM FROM A 'DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE'
The world's first sail drone captured footage from inside Hurricane Sam this week.
- Danielle Cinone
HURRICANE SAM TO PASS 'WELL EAST OF BERMUDA'
The core of Hurricane Sam is expected to pass "well east of Bermuda" on Friday night, according to the National Hurricane Center.
- Julia Fields
WHEN IS THE 2021 HURRICANE SEASON?
Hurricane season officially starts June 1, 2021, and will last through November 30.
Of the 13 to 21 named storms, six to 10 could become hurricanes with winds of 74 miles per hour or higher, according to the government agency.
- Julia Fields
'DEADLY' RIP CURRENTS
Four to eight-foot waves are expected to crash ashore on Florida's east coast beaches throughout the weekend, FOX 35 Storm Team reported.
The rip currents could be "deadly."
- Julia Fields
2021 HURRICANE NAMES
- Ana
- Bill
- Claudette
- Danny
- Elsa
- Fred
- Grace
- Henri
- Ida
- Julian
- Kate
- Larry
- Mindy
- Nicholas
- Odette
- Peter
- Rose
- Sam
- Teresa
- Victor
- Wanda
SURGE
Large swells are reaching Bermuda as Sam moves past.
VICTOR TO STAY TROPICAL STORM
Tropical Storm Victor is no longer slated to become a hurricane.
The National Hurricane Center predicts the storm will weaken into a tropical depression as it travels through the Atlantic next week.
BIG WAVES IN BERMUDA
Bermuda is seeing big waves as Hurricane Sam passes by.
LONG STRETCH
Hurricane Sam could be on track to become the longest consecutive running hurricane in the Atlantic, challenged only by Hurricane Matthew in 2016.
PASSING NEWFOUNDLAND
Sam is projected to pass by Newfoundland and stall at sea.
- Julia Fields
CURVING OUT TO SEA
Watch this visual to see Hurricane Sam curving out to sea.
- Julia Fields
WHAT IS ACE?
According to Dr. Jeff Masters in the outstanding weather blog, Weather Underground, "ACE is calculated as the square of the wind speed every 6 hours, and is then scaled by a factor of 10,000 for usability.
"The ACE of a season is the sum of the ACE for each storm and takes into account the number, strength, and duration of all the tropical storms in the season.
"The caveat to using ACE as a measure of the activity of a season is that it does not take the size of the hurricane or tropical storm into account.
"The damage potential of a hurricane is proportional to the square or cube of the maximum wind speed, and thus ACE is not only a measure of tropical cyclone activity, but a measure of the damage potential of an individual cyclone or a season."
- Julia Fields
POSSIBLE IMPACTS ON CANADA
"Direct impacts to Atlantic Canada look minor and perhaps on par with that of Bermuda, but a track farther west would bring some rain and strong wind gusts to the island of Newfoundland early next week," Douty said.
- Julia Fields
BERMUDA EFFECTS
As a precaution due to the approach of Sam, the Bermuda Weather Service issued a tropical storm warning for Bermuda, but AccuWeather meteorologists believe that significant impacts on the islands will be limited to rough seas and surf.
"Sam's small size and distance from Bermuda will minimize impacts, but showers and gusty winds, along with dangerous surf, will affect the islands on Friday and Saturday," Douty said.
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