Monday, August 4, 2014

Hurricane Bertha: Atlantic Hurricane Season's Second Hurricane (FORECAST)

August 4,2014

Hurricane Bertha Highlights

- Bertha is now a hurricane, moving north of the Bahamas.
- Bertha should pass between the East Coast and Bermuda with limited direct impact to both.
- High surf, rip current risk for parts of East Coast.
Bertha, the second hurricane of the 2014 Atlantic hurricane season, is moving north over the western Atlantic Ocean. Bertha appears to have made its last rendezvous with land as a tropical cyclone, having crossed the southeastern Bahamas Sunday as a tropical storm.
Bertha is moving away from the Bahamas. The center is unlikely to interact with land again before Thursday, when it may pass close to Newfoundland as a post-tropical cyclone. The center of Bertha will pass well to the west of Bermuda to avoid significant impacts there Tuesday into early Wednesday.
Bertha is barely holding on to hurricane status. Its organization, as apparent on satellite imagery, is far from symmetrical, and even the National Hurricane Center says it "could be generous" to call Bertha a hurricane at this point.
Due to a forecast increase in shear Tuesday into Wednesday and its present lack of organization, Bertha should weaken to a a tropical storm if it hasn't done so already.
(MORE: Expert Analysis)
There are no watches or warnings for land, but tropical storm and hurricane warnings are in effect over water for marine interests well off the East Coast of the U.S.
Swells of 4 to 6 feet generated from Bertha may reach the coast from northeast Florida to the Outer Banks of North Carolina, enhancing the threat of rip currents. This threat for elevated surf and rip currents may spread up the East Coast as far as southern New England late Tuesday into Wednesday, but will quickly subside quickly by late Wednesday into Thursday.
Keep in mind the rip current hazard is often highest when wave heights are only moderate, as fewer people may recognize the risk, particularly on an otherwise fair-weather day.

Current Infrared Satellite

This infrared satellite image shows how cold (and therefore how high) the cloud tops are. Brighter orange and red shadings concentrated near the center of circulation signify a healthy tropical cyclone.

Current Visible Satellite (Daylight Hours Only)

This visible satellite image shows the clouds as they would look to the naked eye from outer space. As a result, the image will not show any clouds when it is nighttime over the depicted area.

Storm History

Bertha formed late Thursday night, about 275 miles east-southeast of Barbados. It moved across the Lesser Antilles, causing minimal damage.
(MORE: Bertha News and Storm Reports)
Bertha produced over 10 inches of rain in some areas of Puerto Rico. Bertha's rain should eventually prove beneficial with regards to the drought in Puerto Rico. Bertha later moved over the Turks and Caicos Islands with little fanfare.

REAL-TIME UPDATES

Our live wall below has the latest updates from our hurricane experts and from coastal National Weather Service offices. No need to refresh, the latest updates will appear at the top of the wall. Time stamps on each post are in Eastern U.S. time.

No comments:

Post a Comment