Bertha Not Threat But Dangerous Mystery

National Geographic News yesterday reported that Hurricane Bertha is so far from the coast that it is not a threat to the U.S. coastline, but a little disconcerting is news that the storm didn't behave as expected. By around 3 a.m. EDT Monday, Bertha had barely reached hurricane status with winds of about 75 miles (120 kilometers) an hour. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami, Florida, predicted that the storm would not intensify much beyond that. But 12 hours later Bertha's strongest winds had ramped up to 115 miles (185 kilometers) an hour, making it a Category Three storm and the first major hurricane of the 2008 season. What happened to the storm during those 12 hours is a mystery. "We haven't come up with any explanations," said Richard Pasch, an NHC hurricane specialist. For the full story click here.