Hurricane Sam bringing a rough surf weekend to East Coast

MIAMI (AP) — It’s going to be a rough weekend in the water for beachgoers along the U.S. east coast including North Carolina.

The National Hurricane Center predicts life-threatening surf and rip currents as Hurricane Sam turns northward. 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 centered about 455 miles east of the northern Leeward Islands on Wednesday. Forecasters say large swells will spread to the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, the Bahamas, and Bermuda by Thursday or Friday, then crash against U.S. east coast beaches this weekend.

Get the latest tropical forecast here.