Hurricane Sam is small but mighty; still well offshore

MIAMI (AP) — Hurricane Sam is a powerful Category 4 storm in the Atlantic Ocean, but forecasters said late Sunday that it had peaked in intensity.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Sam was centered about 850 miles east-southeast of the northern Leeward Islands. It had maximum sustained winds of 145 mph.

Forecasters say there will be some fluctuations in strength over the next day or so, followed by a slow weakening.

No coastal watches or warnings are in effect.

However, swells from Hurricane Sam could cause dangerous rip current conditions off the coast of the Lesser Antilles early this week.

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