...Bertha becomes the first hurricane of the 2008 Atlantic season...

at 500 am AST...0900z...the center of Hurricane Bertha was located
near latitude 19.3 north...longitude 50.2 west or about 845 miles...
1365 km...east of the northern Leeward Islands.

Bertha is moving toward the west-northwest near 17 mph...28 km/hr.
A continued west-northwestward motion with a gradual decrease in
forward speed is expected during the next couple of days...as
Bertha remains over the waters of the central tropical Atlantic.
It is still too early to determine if Bertha will eventually affect
any land areas.

Maximum sustained winds have increased and are now near 75 mph...120
km/hr...with higher gusts.  Some additional strengthening is
forecast during the next couple of days.

Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 25 miles...35 km...from
the center...and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 115
miles...185 km.

Estimated minimum central pressure is 987 mb...29.15 inches.

Repeating the 500 am AST position...19.3 N...50.2 W.  Movement
toward...west-northwest near 17 mph.  Maximum sustained winds...75
mph.  Minimum central pressure...987 mb.

The next advisory will be issued by the National Hurricane Center at
1100 am AST.

$$
Forecaster Knabb