What was Tropical Depression #18 is now Tropical Storm Sam

MERIDIAN, Miss. (WTOK) -

Tropical Storm Sam is now the 18th named storm of the season. It was upgraded from T.D. #18 on Thurday morning to a tropical storm, and it’s expected to continue strengthening as it moves over the warm Atlantic Ocean. Sam is forecast to reach Major Hurricane status (Category 3 or higher) by this weekend, but it will still be over the tropical Atlantic waters. So, there’s plenty of time to watch this system.

The forecast model trend does show a recurve to the north...just north of Leeward Islands. However, it’s too early to hang our hats on anything just yet. So, we’ll continue to monitor Sam’s movement & development. As for the east coast, it’s definitely one for that area to watch.