Category 2 Hurricane Sam to become a major Hurricane on Saturday

Atlantic: Hurricane Sam is set to become a major hurricane on Saturday - just a day after reaching hurricane status.

According to the National Hurricane Centre, the storm will intensify quickly as it passes over 84-degree warm water far into the Atlantic Ocean. Wind conditions in the region are also favourable for the growth of storms. No coastal watch or warning is currently in effect for Sam, which is more than 1,300 miles east-southeast of the north of the Leeward Islands bordering the Caribbean Sea.

Forecasters are closely monitoring the storm, which is currently moving westward at 14 mph. It's too early to predict when and where Sam might affect the land.

The National Hurricane Center also follows a low-pressure system north of Bermuda that presently has a 70% chance of becoming a tropical storm in the next 48 hours. If he passed that threshold, the resulting tropical storm would be named Teresa. The system is currently driving north-northwest slowly, the agency stated.

Sam's winds are expected to rise to 130 mph

Sam's continued winds peaked at 75 mph for much of Friday. But those speeds are expected to hit 130mph in the next 48 hours, making Sam a Category 4 hurricane as he cuts through the warm waters.

The rapid escalation is expected to last for several days, the hurricane center said in a storm update on Friday.

Once he reaches Major Hurricane status, Sam should retain much of his strength. The five-day forecast for the hurricane center predicts the storm will maintain sustained winds of 125 mph until early next week.

While Sam is expected to grow rapidly, satellite images on Friday showed the storm had a small, albeit well-developed, internal core, extending hurricane-force winds to just 15 miles from its center.

The seventh hurricane arrives early in the Atlantic season

Sam is the 7th hurricane of the Atlantic season.

"The long-term average date (1991-2020) of the formation of the 7th Atlantic hurricane is November 16," according to meteorologist Philip Klotzbach.

Scientists expect hurricanes to become more intense due to global warming.

"It's very simple science: as the climate warms, it can hold more moisture - and that means more fuel" to precipitation and storms, according to Tripti Bhattacharya, assistant science professor of land and environment at Syracuse University.