Tropics give birth to Bertha

Updated Friday Afternoon:

The second storm of the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season formed early Thursday. Tropical Storm Bertha is in the far eastern Atlantic at this time but it is tracking toward the west.

The storm has strengthened a little over the past 24 hours and additional development is possible over the weekend. It is possible Bertha could become a hurricane by Monday or Tuesday.

Right now the storm is moving over water temperatures that are in the upper 70s, somewhat cooler than usually required for tropical cyclones. But as the circulation moves to the west it will encounter warmer water. Whether that will be enough to fuel additional strengthening will depend on the amount of wind shear.

The forecast track now brings the storm a little closer to populated areas. If Bertha tracks on the left side of the forecast cone, it could reach the northern Lesser Antilles and perhaps Bermuda later next week.  At this time, we still expect the storm to turn northward around the edge of high pressure located over the north Atlantic. Of course, the forecast is always uncertain when dealing with tropical systems and it will change.

You can get the latest position and forecast track of Bertha on our website. The data is automatically updated whenever a new forecast is issued by the National Hurricane Center.