Hurricane Bertha bulletin: Bertha now a major hurricane

BULLETIN

HURRICANE BERTHA ADVISORY NUMBER  19

NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL   AL022008

500 PM AST MON JUL 07 2008

...BERTHA STRENGTHEN TO A MAJOR HURRICANE WITH 115 MPH WINDS...

AT 500 PM AST...2100Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE BERTHA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 20.1 NORTH...LONGITUDE 52.1 WEST OR ABOUT 730 MILES...

1175 KM...EAST-NORTHEAST OF THE NORTHERN LEEWARD ISLANDS AND ABOUT 1150 MILES...1855 KM...SOUTHEAST OF BERMUDA.

BERTHA IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST NEAR 12 MPH...19 KM/HR.

A GRADUAL TURN TOWARD THE NORTHWEST WITH A DECREASE IN FORWARD SPEED IS EXPECTED OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE INCREASED TO NEAR 115 MPH...185 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. BERTHA IS NOW A CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON HURRICANE SCALE.  FLUCTUATIONS IN INTENSITY ARE LIKELY DURING THE NEXT DAY OR TWO.

HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 25 MILES...35 KM...FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 115

MILES...185 KM.

ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 948 MB...27.99 INCHES.

REPEATING THE 500 PM AST POSITION...20.1 N...52.1 W.  MOVEMENT TOWARD...WEST-NORTHWEST NEAR 12 MPH.  MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...115 MPH.  MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...948 MB.

THE NEXT ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 1100 PM AST.

--FORECASTER RHOME