Hurricane BERTHA

[Jim Leonard]

Bertha becomes a hurricane.

Tropical storm Bertha during the past 24 hours has strengthen gradually to a pretty decent hurricane as of this morning. As of 5am the storm is up to 75mph but looking at recent satellite data since then I would say 85mph is quite reasonable. This development is the farthest east in the tropical atlantic for a storm to attain hurricane status so early in the season. Hurricane Bertha of 1996 attained hurricane intensity later on this date near longitude 58W, this time near 48W.
This storm made a real liar out of me when it appeared to be weakening a couple of days ago, I thought it would do what most early in the season tropical cyclones would do is dissapate at sea. That shows is you can never be too sure what nature will eventually do.

 

[Thomas Spence]

I didn't think Bertha would strengthen this fast overnight. I was thinking it would become a Hurricane this morning since Bertha was strengthening last night, but to wake up to a 90mph Hurricane I didn't really see. There is still plenty of time to strengthen some more and Bertha will be a category 2 this afternoon and I think there is a real chance Bertha could be a category 3 storm before the environment becomes more hostile.

 

[Brendon Lindsey]

I dont get it....

Why is there so little activity.... As of now Bertha is a Category 3 Hurricane.... Soon to be a strong one...

CI# /Pressure/ Vmax
6.1 / 949.3mb/115.0kt

 

[rdale]

Why is there so little activity....

Because she's proven to be unforecastable in every definition of the word... Why bother

 

[Brendon Lindsey]

Very true, didnt look at it like that...

 

[MClarkson]

more importantly its in the middle of the ocean and is going to stay in the middle of the ocean, perhaps scraping bermuda in 5 days. Hard to get much chaser interest in that. There arent even any planes flying into it yet.

 

[Alex Goldstein]

Quick Question,
It seems that a lot of dry air is wrapping around the hurricane on the west and southwest sides of the storm (as per water vapor imagery). Is this common among hurricanes?

 

[Jim Leonard]

Its comon to get subsidence on especially the forward side of a well developed hurricane/typhoon. Its not at all unusual to have fair weather with only scatterd cumulas clouds for a couple of days before the arrival of a hurricane.

 

[Bryan Putnam]

I would think the national hurricane center would have learned by now to just say every hurricane is going to be at least a cat 4. They're more likely to be right then wrong lately .

 

[Jim Leonard]

Hurricane Bertha this morning is reintensifying quite a bit on satellite images. The shear that it was encountering during the past 24 hours has decreased quite well so it is letting the deep convection return over the center of circulation. It is possible for the hurricane to return to a high end cat-2 or a cat-3 within 12 hours.

 

[Matt Gingery]

www.masterforecaster.net

Hey, new to the site. I would like to extend my grattitude for allowing myself to join the site from all involved. Interesting to see what has happened with Bertha, more symmetrical today, and I feel that as it wobbles, stair steps and meandors it will likely make its way to Bermuda some how. It could also become a Cat 4 easily with the eye centered in such a large symmetrical storm. We will see. Any thoughts?

 

[Thomas Spence]

I don't think it would get up to a Cat 4, but who knows. I've found out from the past couple years that anything is possible with these things. Bertha has wobbled a little more WNW the past few frames and is getting closer to Bermuda. I don't think Bertha will hit Bermuda head on, but Bermuda will get some action.

 

[cdcollura]

Bertha still out there, moving FINALLY to the NE as a "fish storm" (TS at about 60 MPH) into the tropical-cyclone "graveyard" of the N Atlantic ;-)