000 WTNT32 KNHC 121733 TCPAT2 BULLETIN HURRICANE BERTHA INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER 38A NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL022008 200 PM AST SAT JUL 12 2008 ...AIR FORCE RECONNAISSANCE PLANE FINDS A SLIGHTLY WEAKER BERTHA... A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR BERMUDA. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED WITHIN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS. FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...INCLUDING POSSIBLE WATCHES AND WARNINGS...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR LOCAL WEATHER OFFICE. AT 200 PM AST...1800Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE BERTHA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 29.9 NORTH...LONGITUDE 62.5 WEST OR ABOUT 215 MILES... 345 KM...SOUTHEAST OF BERMUDA. BERTHA HAS BEEN MEANDERING FOR THE PAST SEVERAL HOURS AND LITTLE MOTION IS EXPECTED TODAY. HOWEVER...BERTHA SHOULD BEGIN TO MOVE TOWARD THE NORTH NEAR 2 MPH...4 KM/HR LATER TONIGHT. THIS GENERAL SLOW MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE DURING THE NEXT 24 TO 48 HOURS. ON THIS TRACK...THE CENTER OF BERTHA IS EXPECTED TO SLOWLY PASS TO THE SOUTHEAST AND EAST OF BERMUDA...BUT THE MOTION COULD OCCASIONALLY BE ERRATIC. PRELIMINARY DATA FROM A RECONNAISSANCE PLANE INDICATE THAT THE MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 80 MPH...130 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. BERTHA IS A CATEGORY ONE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. NO IMPORTANT CHANGE IN STRENGTH IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 35 MILES...55 KM...FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 140 MILES...220 KM. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE JUST REPORTED BY AN AIR FORCE HURRICANE HUNTER PLANE WAS 983 MB...29.03 INCHES. LARGE SWELLS AND HIGH SURF ARE AFFECTING BERMUDA...AND THESE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO PERSIST FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS. THE OUTER BANDS OF BERTHA ARE EXPECTED TO PRODUCE RAINFALL AMOUNTS IN BERMUDA OF 1 TO 2 INCHES DURING THE NEXT TWO DAYS. REPEATING THE 200 PM AST POSITION...29.9 N...62.5 W. MOVEMENT TOWARD...NORTH NEAR 2 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...80 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...983 MB. THE NEXT ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 500 PM AST. $$