Caribbean-On-Line » Caribbean Hurricanes » Hurricane Bertha » POWERFUL BERTHA MAINTAINING MAJOR HURRICANE STATUS
July 8, 2008
POWERFUL BERTHA MAINTAINING MAJOR HURRICANE STATUS
Wow - Bertha has picked up substantial strength over night and is now a Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale:
...POWERFUL BERTHA MAINTAINING MAJOR HURRICANE STATUS...
AT 500 AM AST...0900Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE BERTHA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 21.4 NORTH...LONGITUDE 53.3 WEST OR ABOUT 675 MILES... 1085 KM...EAST-NORTHEAST OF THE NORTHERN LEEWARD ISLANDS AND ABOUT 1035 MILES...1660 KM...SOUTHEAST OF BERMUDA.
BERTHA IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST NEAR 10 MPH...17 KM/HR...AND THIS GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT 48 HOURS.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 120 MPH...195 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. BERTHA IS A CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON HURRICANE SCALE. SOME FLUCTUATIONS IN INTENSITY MAY OCCUR TODAY... BUT A GRADUAL WEAKENING TREND IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN WITHIN THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS.
HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 30 MILES...45 KM...FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 115 MILES...185 KM.
ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 955 MB...28.20 INCHES.
REPEATING THE 500 AM AST POSITION...21.4 N...53.3 W. MOVEMENT TOWARD...NORTHWEST NEAR 10 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...120 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...955 MB.
THE NEXT ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 1100 AM AST.
The good news on Bertha is that current tracking models seem to keep it in the Atlantic, which will make it a concern for shipping but hopefully spare Bermuda.
