Bertha becomes longest lived July storm

It is the longest-lived July tropical storm in history, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. Bertha is the Atlantic season's first hurricane. It weakened into a tropical storm but is expected to re-strengthen into a hurricane by late Tuesday or early Wednesday, forecasters said.

The previous longest-lived storm, known as Storm No. 2, occurred in 1960 and lasted just over 12 days, according to forecaster Daniel Brown. Bertha has lasted six hours longer, he said.

The storm was centered 315 miles (510 kilometers) northeast of Bermuda Tuesday afternoon, with sustained winds near 70 mph (110 kph), the center said. It had dumped 4.7 inches (12 centimeters) of rain on the island and was moving northeast at 9 mph (15 kph).

In Bermuda, the government dispatched cleanup crews and expected to restore power to 200 remaining customers by the end of the day. Bertha's heavy rains flooded roads and its winds felled utility poles, leaving up to 7,500 without electricity on Monday. There were no reports of injuries.

Bertha whipped up dangerous rip currents along the U.S. East Coast from the Carolinas through southern New England, contributing to at least one drowning Saturday along a New Jersey beach, officials said.

On Monday, Elida became the second hurricane of the Eastern Pacific region's season, scattering rains across Mexico's central coast. The storm, with winds of nearly 75 mph (120 kph), was headed away from land and was expected to gradually weaken during the next 48 hours.

Elida was centered about 495 miles (795 kilometers) south-southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula on Tuesday, and was moving northwest about 14 mph (22 kph).