Serving as a wake-up call to forecasters, Hurricane Bertha formed much farther east than usual, being so early in hurricane season and strengthened much quicker than predicted. Hopefully, this is not an indication of a busy year.
The storm formed near the Cape Verde islands off Africa on July 3rd and by July 7th it had become the first “major” Atlantic hurricane of 2008, with sustained winds of at least 115 miles per hour, a Category 3 storm, according to the Saffir-Simpson scale.
Heading northwest, it was predicted to pass near Bermuda, and predicted to loose strength due to atmospheric conditions in its path. In fact, the center of Bertha passed to the east of Bermuda, at tropical storm strength, soaking the island and leaving about 4,000 without power. Presently it is headed east and away from the Northern U.S.
Hurricane Fact: Bertha became the longest-lived July Atlantic tropical cyclone on record as of July 15th.
The National Hurricane Center’s Web site’ information on Bertha
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