Hurricane Sam bringing a rough surf weekend to US East Coast

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)

MIAMI — Beachgoers along the east coast of the United States should beware of life-threatening surf and rip currents this weekend as Hurricane Sam turns northward, the National Hurricane Center said Wednesday.

Forecasters expect the Category 4 hurricane to remain at sea, but with top winds of 130 mph, it’s already sending dangerous ocean swells to islands hundreds of miles away.

Sam was located about 455 miles east of the northern Leeward Islands, traveling northwest at 9 mph, the Miami-based hurricane center said. Hurricane-force winds were extending outward 40 miles from its center, with top winds expected to grow to 140 mph in the coming days.

Forecasters said large swells are affecting the Leeward Islands and will spread to portions of the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, the Bahamas, and Bermuda by Thursday or Friday as the storm curves northward. Rough surf is expected along U.S. east coast beaches and Canada’s Atlantic provinces by the weekend.