When storms are in season

It’s hurricane season on both sides of North America until November 30. Here’s an AccuWeather.com update from Monday, August 4, 2014…

Pacific Ocean
Iselle continues to strengthen and has become a Category 4 hurricane and remains on a westward track over the open water of the eastern Pacific Ocean. Sustained winds are at 140 mph with higher gusts, centered approximately 1,250 miles east of Hilo, Hawaii. Iselle is forecast to weaken and lose tropical characteristics by the time it reaches the Big Island of Hawaii either on Thursday night or Friday. However, it can bring locally heavy rain and gusty winds.

Tropical Storm Julio is centered a little over 1000 miles southwest of the southern tip of Baja California with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph. The latest satellite imagery indicates that Julio is becoming better organized with a band of deep convection concentrating around the center of circulation. Furthermore, forecast models are more in line with continued strengthening and take Julio to hurricane strength by Tuesday afternoon. Julio is not expected to impact land through Friday.

Atlantic Ocean
Despite intensifying quickly earlier today Bertha is struggling with its environment. The hurricane has a small center of circulation roughly 560 miles southwest of Bermuda or 415 miles southeast of Hatteras NC. Bertha is expected to gradually weaken during the course of the next 24-36 hours as strong upper level winds increase over the storm. Bertha will turn more to the northeast Tuesday night and Wednesday, weakening to transition to a non tropical storm system as it passes well southeast of Atlantic Canada Wednesday night and early Thursday. The non tropical remnant storm could pass very close to the Avalon Peninsula of southeast Newfoundland later on Thursday.