As it moved off the coast of Florida, the system gained energy from the warm ocean water.
According to the National Hurricane Center, Bertha made landfall along the South Carolina coast some 20 miles east of Charleston.
The storm landed less than two hours after the National Hurricane Center called him Bertha.
The maximum winds sustained by Bertha on the ground were 50 miles per hour, a little higher than when he had been appointed an hour earlier.
“The traffic center at 8:00 ET was just over 30 miles offshore and closing rapidly,” said CNN meteorologist Chad Myers. “There will be only a small window of opportunity for more reinforcement, but it’s very hot water is now certainly possible.”
Since 1900, having two storms named before the official start of the hurricane season – June 1 – has only happened five times, said Phil Klotzbach, a researcher at the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at Colorado State University.
Three of these have been since 2012, including this year.
The NHC has issued a tropical storm warning for the South Carolina coast from Edisto Beach to the South Santee River.
“The center of Bertha will move to the ground in the alarm area in the next few hours and then move inland through eastern and northern South Carolina later today and into central-western North Carolina by tonight,” said the NHC.
The storm will cause sudden floods on portions of Caroline and very gusty winds.
During the day, the coasts of Georgia and the Carolinas will likely be life threatening and life threatening currents.
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