A massive record-breaking monster! Hurricane Sam is the strongest storm of the 2021 Atlantic season to date. It is very rare for a Category 4 or 5 hurricane to form that far east or south this late in the season. The only other hurricane on record to do so was Lorenzo in 2019.

As Hurricane Sam churns in the Atlantic Ocean, NOAA satellites are carefully monitoring the powerful Category 4 storm, the strongest of the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season to date.

Tropical Storm Sam formed on Sept. 23 in the eastern tropical Atlantic as the 18th named storm of the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season. Only the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season had more named storms by this date, with 23. Sam rapidly reached hurricane status on Sept. 24 and intensified into a Category 4 hurricane by Sept. 25.

Sam is the fourth major hurricane (Category 3, 4, or 5 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale) of the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season. Just three days after becoming a named storm, Sam peaked in strength on Sept. 26 with sustained winds of 155 mph.

A beautiful monster, click on image to enlarge, credit, NOAA.

Not only did this make it the strongest storm of the 2021 Atlantic season to date, but meteorologists noted that it is very rare for a Category 4 or 5 hurricane to form that far east or south this late in the season. The only other hurricane on record to do so was Lorenzo in 2019.

Sam’s rate of intensification was the highest on record that far east in the Atlantic this late in the calendar year.

Learn more: https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/news/eart... 

 Video Credits: NOAA NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center CIRA Music Credit: “Babel,” by Max Cameron Concours [ASCAP]; In Reality; Universal Production Music.

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