Bertha Bears Down on Top Ten

As Tropical Storm Bertha continues to move away from land in the Atlantic, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) has pointed out that it could become one of the top 10 longest-lived tropical storms in history if it survives to the weekend. Extracted from the NHC historical database, here are the 10 all-time longest-lived storms (in calendar days) from depression through extratropical stage:

Year Days Storm
1899 33 NOT NAMED
1971 30 GINGER
1969 26 INGA
1926 23 NOT NAMED
1957 23 CARRIE
2000 23 ALBERTO
2002 23 KYLE
2004 23 IVAN
1893 21 NOT NAMED
1966 21 INEZ

Bertha originally became a tropical depression on July 3. The storm is now located about 450 miles east northeast of Bermuda. After moving southeastward for a while, it's now moving east at a faster rate of 12 mph. Maximum winds are around 60 mph, and little change in strength is expected.

Elsewhere, a low pressure area which has now moved westward into the southeastern Caribbean has shown increased thunderstorm activity, and an aircraft reconnaissance flight was scheduled to investigate it this afternoon.

Closer to home, the stormy area in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico yesterday has moved across Florida and now about 75 miles east of Jacksonville. It has a moderate chance to develop as it drifts slowly northward.