HURRICANE SEASON 2008

                                              Bermuda Expects Light Punch From Bertha




MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- Hurricane Bertha was nearly stationary Saturday but was expected to pick up speed and deal a glancing blow to Bermuda, the National Hurricane Center said.


 The Atlantic island's weather service issued a tropical storm warning Saturday morning, meaning tropical storm conditions are expected within 24 hours.

As of 11 a.m. ET Saturday, the center of Bertha was about 210 miles southeast of Bermuda. Its maximum sustained winds were near 85 mph, with higher gusts, making it a Category 1 storm.

Bertha had slowed to a near-stop, but forecasters said it was expected to begin moving north at about 2 mph later Saturday and would continue doing so for the next couple of days.

"On this track, the center of Bertha is expected to slowly pass to the southeast and east of Bermuda, but the motion could occasionally be erratic," the hurricane center said.

Bertha's outer bands are expected to dump up to 2 inches of rain on Bermuda over the next few days. The storm already has caused large swells and high surf on the island.

Bertha's intensity has fluctuated. At its peak, it was a major Category 3 hurricane with top winds of 120 mph. Its wind speed dropped to 75 mph, barely hurricane strength, before picking up once again and reaching Category 2 intensity late Wednesday, with top sustained winds of 105 mph. But forecasters said Saturday little change in strength is forecast for the next few days.

Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 35 miles from Bertha's center. Tropical storm-force winds extend outward up to 140 miles, forecasters said.

Bertha is the first hurricane of the 2008 Atlantic season. It formed July 3 off the coast of Africa near the southern Cape Verde Islands. It strengthened into a hurricane early Monday.

The first tropical storm of the season, Arthur, formed May 31 near the coast of Belize and dumped heavy rain on Central America and southern Mexico.