Thursday September 23, 2021 – The Disaster Management Coordination Agency, DMCA is closely monitoring Tropical Storm Sam located about 1635 miles East-Southeast of the Northern Leeward Islands which includes Montserrat. The system is expected to come close to a major category 3 hurricane by the end of the weekend with top winds of 111 to 129 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The majority of long-range forecast models have Tropical Storm Sam turning north or north east of the Caribbean which includes Montserrat, hence residents should continue to watch the storm closely.

At 5 PM, the center of Tropical Storm Sam was located near latitude 11.1 North, longitude 39.7 West. Sam is moving toward the west near 16 mph (26 km/h) and a general west to west-northwest motion is expected to continue over the next several days, with a gradual slowdown in forward motion.Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 60 mph with higher gusts. Rapid intensification is forecast during the next several days. Sam is forecast to become a hurricane tomorrow morning and could become a major hurricane by Saturday.Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 60 miles from the center.

The estimated minimum central pressure is 1000 mb (29.53 inches).

HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND: None.

The Disaster Management Coordination Agency, DMCA will continue to keep an eye on Tropical Storm Sam, and will provide regular updates as new information is released.