Hurricane Bertha weakened to Cat 1 storm

Hurricane Bertha weakened to a Category 1 storm on 9 July 2008. As of 0900 UTC on 9 July, the hurricane was located approximately 560 mi/900 km northeast of the northern Leeward Islands and about 790 mi/1,271 km southeast of Bermuda. The hurricane is moving northwest at 10 mph/9 kt and has maximum sustained winds of 75 mph with higher gusts. Meteorologists at Wilkens Weather Technologies forecast that the hurricane will turn to the north on 11 July, bypassing Bermuda. The storm may temporarily strengthen in the next 24 hours before weakening again. The hurricane has so far not affected cruise vessel itineraries in the region.