Hurricane Bertha picks up steam overnight
Storm bypasses Puerto Rico, aims for Bahamas
July 9, 1996
Web posted at: 6:25 a.m. EDT (1025 GMT)(CNN) -- Hurricane Bertha bypassed Puerto Rico, but picked up strength overnight and churned toward the Bahamas Tuesday morning with 115 mph winds and torrential rains. The National Weather Service called the storm dangerous and upgraded it to a Category 3 storm (on a scale of 5). Category 3 storms can cause extensive damage.
At 8 a.m. Tuesday, the first Atlantic hurricane of the season was located about 125 miles east-southeast of Turks Island, moving northwest near 18 mph. Hurricane force winds extended 145 miles (230km) from the center.
A hurricane warning was in effect for southeastern and central Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and the Dominican Republic from Cabo Caucedo to Monte Criste. The north coast of Haiti from St. Nicolas to the border of the Dominican Republic was under a hurricane watch and a tropical storm warning.
A hurricane watch was also in effect for the northwest Bahamas, and officials said that could be upgraded to a warning later Tuesday.
Bertha swept across several northern Caribbean islands earlier Monday, toppling trees, power lines and buildings along the way. Despite the torrential rains and gusting winds, damage was relatively light, compared to last year's Hurricanes Luis and Marilyn that devastated the area.
Moving satellite image of the storm - 191K QuickTime movie
Many residents breathed a sigh of relief as they emerged from shelters to find far less damage than expected.
"I feel very fortunate," said Tracy Booth of St. Thomas, the main U.S. Virgin Island.
The Virgin Islands took a direct hit from Bertha's then-100 mph winds earlier Monday, but the accompanying rains did the most damage with extensive flooding.
Two surfers were killed when they tried to ride Bertha's rough waves. Lilton Jones, 35, of New York City drowned off Puerto Rico; a second, unidentified surfer died in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Gov. Roy L. Schneider said.
Hurricane Bertha at 11:00 a.m. EDT Max. Sustained Winds: 115 mph (185 km/h) Location: 75 mi. (125 km) ENE of Turks Island Direction/Speed: NW @ 20 mph (32 km/h) Coordinates: 22.0N, 70.1W Authorities blamed the hurricane for two traffic deaths on Puerto Rico as well.
Despite an intense search with ships and aircraft, the Coast Guard could not locate a ship that amateur radio operators reported adrift in the hurricane. The operators said half of the more than 40 people aboard were missing. No further details were available.
Forecasters gave Bertha no more than a 30 percent chance of hitting Florida, but the Hurricane Center in Miami told southeastern coastal cities to keep a close eye on the storm.
CNN's Storm Center
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