BERTHA EXITS BAHAMAS, 5 AM update... . A strengthening Tropical Storm Bertha is departing the southeastern Bahamas after brushing the islands earlier on Sunday. Fortunately, Bertha will veer out to sea between the U.S. and Bermuda. As of 5 a.m. EDT, Tropical Storm Bertha was located near 26.1 N and 73.6 W, or 220 miles east of Great Abaco Island, Bahamas. This also places the storm about 440 miles east of Miami. Bertha`s top sustained winds have increased to 70 mph, and it is motoring north at 16 mph. Bertha`s minimum central pressure has decreased to 999 mb, or 29.50 inches of mercury. After brushing the Bahamas, Bertha will track northward early next week. Luckily, it will move between an upper-level area of low pressure along the Eastern Seaboard and high pressure in the central Atlantic Ocean, sparing the U.S. and Bermuda a direct hit. That said, it will still stir up large waves responsible for causing dangerous rip currents along East Coast beaches. Bertha, tracking over a more favorable upper-level environment over the next few days, could peak as a Category One hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale on Wednesday. However, its life as a hurricane will be short-lived as it will be absorbed by an area of low pressure pulling into the Canadian Maritimes late in the week. Bertha will still squeeze out locally heavy rainfall bands for the Turks and Caicos today. One to 3 inches of rain will be common, with as much as 5 inches falling in the more persistent bands across the islands. This is the time of year where tropical activity becomes more frequent in the Atlantic. The season`s traditional peak is only a month away. Now is the time for residents that live near the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean to review their hurricane plans and to double-check their hurricane safety kits to make sure it is stocked with all of the essentials, including water, batteries and non-perishable food. Be sure to check with DWN for the latest on the tropics and stay with DWN during this 2014 hurricane season. ,
Posted on: Mon, 04 Aug 2014 10:20:39 +0000
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