Tropical Storm Gert skips past Bermuda

By the CNN Wire Staff

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

NEW: Gert has passed Bermuda and is heading out to sea
NEW: The storm is expected to lose steam Tuesday and Wednesday

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(CNN) -- Tropical Storm Gert veered away from Bermuda on Monday and was expected to dissipate into the open Atlantic Ocean, forecasters reported.

Warnings for the island were dropped as Gert, the seventh named storm of the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season, churned the ocean to the east Monday afternoon, the National Hurricane Center reported. At 5 p.m. ET, the storm was about 135 miles (220 km) east-northeast of Bermuda, moving north-northeast at 14 mph (22 km/h), according to the Miami-based agency.

"Gradual weakening is forecast to begin by Tuesday night and continue through Wednesday," forecasters reported.

Top winds were 60 mph, with tropical storm-force winds over 39 mph extending as far as 70 miles from the eye, according to forecasters. Gert had strengthened as it neared Bermuda earlier Monday, but tropical storm warnings posted for the island were dropped Monday afternoon.