Hurricane Bertha heads for Bermuda

Bermuda issued a tropical storm watch for the island today as Hurricane Bertha approached.

Forecasters said tropical storm conditions were possible in the area by tomorrow night.

Bertha has already been producing large swells and high surf there, and that was expected to continue over the next few days.

As of about 2pm local time (7pm Irish time), Bertha’s centre was about 300 miles south-southeast of Bermuda.

The Atlantic season’s first hurricane had maximum sustained winds of about 85 mph with some higher gusting. It was travelling northwest at about 6mph and was expected to turn north in the next 24 hours.

It could be close to the island by tomorrow.

Forecasters said the strength of the Category 1 storm could fluctuate in the next couple of days.