Tropical Storm Bertha quickly organized off of the South Carolina coast before making landfall after 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, making it the second named storm of the 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season (A season that doesn’t officially begin until June) This storm will weaken rapidly as it continues to move inland.
Regardless of organization, flash flooding remains the main threat to our region today. 1-3″ of rainfall will be possible. This on top of the heavy rain last week, means it won’t take much for flooding to occur. As of 11 am, a Flash Flood Watch only includes areas east of 77.
As with any tropical system, areas located ~100 mi right of center (or east of Charlotte as the remnants will move over the city early Thu AM) run the highest risk of quick spin-ups. The Storm Prediction Center has issued a marginal risk for severe weather (1 out 5) for parts of Chesterfield, Anson, and all of Richmond Counties for that reason. The threat is low for now, but it will be an area that should be watched for any bowing segments for any organized severe wind gust threat or even an increase in the tornado threat. The storm will move out of the region by midnight.
