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Storm Set To Be Hurricane

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By NEIL JOHNSON

The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 7, 2008

TAMPA - The season's first hurricane is likely to form today, but Tropical Storm Bertha's track is taking it away from Florida.

On Sunday, Bertha had winds of about 65 mph and was zipping along to the west-northwest at about 20 mph, cruising along the southern edge of an area of high pressure to the storm's north.
Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center expect Bertha to begin taking a more northwest path Tuesday or Wednesday, but they do not know whether the storm will curve enough to avoid land. None of the models takes Bertha into the Caribbean Sea.

The models do not portray a low-pressure area forming ahead of the storm that would push it north and away from the coast.

Though forecasters are not overly confident of their intensity outlook, most models have the storm becoming a Category 1 hurricane with winds of about 80 mph by the middle of the week and maintaining that strength until Friday.

As Bertha heads west, the storm will move over continually warmer water, and forecasters said shear, which can destroy a storm or stunt its growth, will be low, at least for the next few days.
Forecasters said it is too early to tell whether Bertha will hit land or curve to the north before reaching the coast.

Reporter Neil Johnson can be reached at (813) 259-7731 or njohnson@tampatrib.com.

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