Hurricane Bertha (1996) The depression tracked westward across the open waters of the Atlantic along the western periphery of a subtropical ridge. Later that day, the depression was upgraded to a tropical storm and was named "Bertha". Over the next three days, Bertha tracked west-northwest while gradual intensification was occurring. On July 7, Bertha was upgraded to a hurricane with sustained winds of 75 mph (120 km/h) while east of Guadeloupe. The next day, the center of circulation passed over Antigua as Bertha traversed the extreme northeastern portion of the Caribbean Sea causing moderate to minor damages. After that, Bertha passed rapidly in
Hurricane Bertha (2008) 77 °F (25 °C), and its overall appearance was characterized by intermittent bursts of deep convection near the center. Eventually, by late on July 5, Bertha began to enter warmer waters and gain organization. Convection coalesced throughout July 6, and a series of microwave passes later that day indicated the formation of an eye-like feature, despite some tilt to Bertha's low- and mid-level circulations. Rapid deepening ensued as the aforementioned eye became readily apparent and convection in the eyewall cooled; Bertha became the season's first hurricane around 06:00 UTC on July 7, and by 21:00 UTC that afternoon, attained its