Hurricane Bertha weakens to Cat. 1 storm

[July 09, 2008]  MIAMI (AP) -- Forecasters say Hurricane Bertha has weakened to a Category 1 storm.

As of 11 p.m. EDT Tuesday, the center of the storm was about 580 miles northeast of the northern Leeward Islands and about 840 miles southeast of Bermuda.

Maximum sustained winds decreased to 80 mph with some higher gusting. The storm is expected to continue weakening over the next couple of days. The Atlantic season's first hurricane is headed to the northwest at about 12 mph.

Bertha is expected to continue heading toward Bermuda. Forecasters urged people on the island to continue monitoring the storm's progress. Large swells and high surfs could affect portions of Bermuda late Wednesday.

It's unknown if or when the hurricane will make landfall.

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.