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Storm tracker: Bertha reaches hurricane status

Bertha became the first hurricane of the 2008 Atlantic season July 7.

The storm, as of The islander’s deadline, remained well out in the Atlantic, with sustained winds of 75 mph, triggering the upgrade from tropical storm to hurricane, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Bertha, according to a July 7 advisory, was moving west-northwest at about 17 mph. Forecasters said it was too early to know whether the hurricane would make landfall.

This year’s first named storm, TS Arthur, formed May 31 and drenched the Yucatan.