Hurricane Bertha may weaken within a few days

[July 08, 2008]  MIAMI (AP) -- Forecasters say Hurricane Bertha could begin to weaken within the next couple of days. As of 5 a.m. EDT Tuesday, the center of the storm was about 675 miles east-northeast of the northern Leeward Islands and about 1,035 miles southeast of Bermuda.

Maximum sustained winds are near 120 mph with some higher gusting. The Category 3 storm is headed to the northwest at about 10 mph.

Bertha is expected to continue heading toward Bermuda. It's unknown if or when the hurricane will make landfall.

The hurricane center has projected 12 to 16 named storms in the Atlantic this season, with six to nine of them hurricanes.

The Atlantic hurricane season runs through Nov. 30.

[Associated Press]

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