Bertha weakens considerably

Tom Moore, Lead Meteorologist, The Weather Channel
5:30 p.m. ET 7/8/2008
Bertha, after briefly becoming a major hurricane, continues to weaken. It’s moving toward the northwest at about 12 mph and at 5 p.m. EDT was centered about 900 miles southeast of Bermuda.

Continued weakening is likely over the next day or two, as is a further slowing of its forward motion and a turn to a more north-northwest track and finally more northeastward.

The factors in Bertha’s weakening include upper-level wind shear, the ingestion of drier air and a path over somewhat cooler water.

At this time, Bertha is expected to miss Bermuda may be only a tropical storm when it passes by to the east.

Elsewhere, there are no disturbances of interest in either the tropical Atlantic or eastern Pacific Basins.