Tracking The Tropics: Hurricane Sam Continues To Intensify

MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Hurricane Sam continues to rapidly intensify as it moves northwest through the tropical Atlantic towards the Leeward Islands.

It is a small storm but is moving through ideal conditions to continue to intensify, becoming a major hurricane over the weekend.

It will continue to move west-northwest and be passing north of the Leeward Islands by the middle of next week.

At that time the forecasts are in good agreement that it will turn north and increase speed, staying over the Atlantic.

Given that this turn occurs after day 5 and until then it will be a major hurricane moving northwest in the Atlantic, it is something to continue to monitor.

As long as the weather pattern develops next week over the east coast, the turn to the north will occur keeping Sam off the coast and moving into the North Atlantic.

Teresa is just north of Bermuda and is classified as a poorly defined subtropical storm.

It continues to encounter stronger shear and is running out of time to strengthen.

Before the weekend ends the forecast calls for it to become a remnant low as it moves north away from Bermuda.

The remnants of Peter south of Bermuda may have a chance to develop slowly as it moves northeast over the open Atlantic.

The development potential is low at only 20 percent over the three to five-day period.

Finally, a tropical wave moving off the west coast of Africa will have the potential for gradual development as it moves over the far eastern Atlantic.

Development potential is medium but only in the three to five day period.

A tropical depression may form at this time. Should it become a named system it will be Victor. After that we will have one more storm, Wanda, before moving onto the new supplemental name list which replaces the Greek alphabet names.