TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Hurricane Bertha Quickly Builds To Category 3 Status

National Hurricane Center

Bertha has reached Category 3 strength, packing winds of about 115 mph.

ADVERTISEMENT

By NEIL JOHNSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 7, 2008

TAMPA - Hurricane Bertha surprised forecasters by jumping from a storm with 90 mph winds to a Category 3 hurricane with winds of about 115 mph.

Earlier today, forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami said Bertha should swell to about 105 mph, possibly by tonight. That would have made Bertha a Category 2 hurricane.

Instead, Bertha jumped two categories in six hours.

The storm has slowed slightly, moving at about 12 mph. Forecasters have said the storm will slow as it begins an expected turn toward the north.

Bertha this afternoon started making that turn, making an impact on the coast of the United States less likely.

Forecasters cannot say the same about whether the season's first hurricane will hit Bermuda. This afternoon, Bertha was about 1,110 miles southeast of the island and moving west northwest.

The storm is likely to take a more northerly track by the middle of the week as an area of high pressure to the storm's north that has kept Bertha on a mostly westward track weakens.

The hurricane center does not expect Bertha to maintain its Category 3 status long. It is moving through an area of low shear but that should change by the middle of the week. Forecasters said Bertha should gradually weaken by late Tuesday or early Wednesday.

But forecasters also said the storm's intensity could fluctuate over the next day or two.

After that, forecasters say the steering currents around Bertha could weaken, making track forecasts three or four days from now less certain.

Bertha became the season's first hurricane early this morning.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT