Tropical Storm Bertha formed late Thursday night, about 275 miles east-southeast of Barbados and is now tracking quickly toward the Windward Islands.
As of Friday evening (local time), Bertha was located about 40 miles west-southwest of Dominica, and 355 miles southeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Tropical storm warnings are now in effect for Puerto Rico, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands and parts of the Windward Islands.
Tropical storm-force winds (sustained wind speeds of 39 mph or greater) are expected to spread into the warned areas of the Windward Islands Friday, then may arrive in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands on Saturday.
Bertha is expected to track near the Dominican Republic Saturday night into early Sunday, then the southeast Bahamas Sunday.
Bertha is also battling an atmosphere of dry air, also hostile for intensification, and its circulation may be further disrupted by passage over parts of Puerto Rico and possibly the Dominican Republic this weekend.
Therefore, the official forecast does not expect significant intensification of Bertha through at least early Sunday. In fact, it's possible Bertha may degenerate to a tropical wave anytime this weekend.
Bertha may produce rainfall amounts of 1 to 3 inches across portions of the Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Isolated totals up to 10 inches are possible over the higher terrain of southern Puerto Rico. While Bertha's rain will eventually prove beneficial with regards to the developing drought, too much rain too fast will also create hazardous flooding and mudslide conditions.
