Tropical Storm Bertha is expected to strengthen overnight to become the first hurricane of the season, which started on June 1.

The currently predicted long-range path of the storm shows it veering sharply west-northwest towards the end of this week, bringing it potentially within range of Bermuda.

As of last night the weather system was in the middle of the Atlantic between the Cape Verde Island and the Caribbean. It was 1,280 miles east-southeast of Bermuda and travelling at 20 miles per hour, with maximum sustained winds of 60 miles per hour.

Bertha is the second named storm of the season and is expected to be the first of 2008 to be upgraded to hurricane status when, during the next 24 hours, its maximum sustained winds are projected to exceed 74 miles per hour.

At press time last night the nearest approach the storm will make to Bermuda within the next 72 hours will be on Wednesday evening when it will lie 577 miles to the Island's south-southwest.