Bertha achieved cat-3.

[phantom power]

Hurricane Bertha put on a remarkable burst of rapid intensification Monday afternoon, reaching major hurricane status--Category 3--with 120 mph winds and an estimated central pressure of 948 mb. Among early season hurricanes that have formed before August 1, Bertha is the sixth strongest early-season Atlantic hurricane on record. Only 12 early season major hurricanes have formed since record keeping began in 1851, though several were no doubt undocumented before the advent of the aircraft reconnaissance in 1944. Bertha holds the record for the farthest east a major hurricane has formed so early in the season (52°W longitude), easily beating the mark set in 1996 (67°W) by a previous incarnation of Hurricane Bertha. This year's Bertha now holds the record for farthest east formation as a tropical storm, hurricane, and major hurricane, so early in the season.

http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=978&tstamp=200807

[jdlh8894]

1. Terra,Terra,Terra! ???

When and where is landfall?

[phantom power]

2. Landfall is unlikely. It's swinging north:

[Speck Tater]

3. That was yesterday. Down to cat 2 today, and weakening.

Sorry to disappoint all you disaster fans, but stay tuned next week. We may have better luck with the next storm.