Tropical Storm Bertha churns in the Atlantic

Tropical Storm Bertha is still churning in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa.

At 8 p.m. EDT Friday, Bertha was centered about 505 miles west of the Cape Verde Islands.

Maximum sustained winds are near 50 mph. Some gradual strengthening was forecast during the next day or two.

It's still too early to say if or where Bertha will hit land.

The first named storm this year, Arthur, formed in the Atlantic the day before the season officially started June 1 and soaked the Yucatan Peninsula.