Hurricane Bertha strengthened to Cat 3

Hurricane Bertha strengthened to a Category 3 storm on 7 July 2008. As of 0900 UTC on 8 July, the hurricane was located approximately 675 mi/1,076 km east-northeast of the northern Leeward Islands and 1,035 mi/1,665 km southeast of Bermuda. The hurricane has maximum sustained winds of 120 mph/104 kt, and it is headed in a west-northwest direction at 10 mph/8 kt. According to meteorologists at Wilkens Weather Technologies, the storm is expected to gradually weaken by 9 July, but still remain a hurricane. It will likely shift to the northwest. However, it is not yet clear whether it will hit Bermuda.