Tropical Storm Bertha forms off South Carolina coast

A tropical system off the South Carolina coast has formed into Tropical Storm Bertha.

According to the National Hurricane Center, radar imagery indicates that the area of disturbed weather became significantly better organized Wednesday morning.

A Tropical Storm Warning is now in effect for the coast of South Carolina from Edisto Beach to South Santee River.

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Reports from an offshore buoy are showing that the system is producing tropical-storm-force winds.

The storm is currently about 30 miles southeast of Charleston, South Carolina.

The center of Bertha will move onshore in the warning area in the next few hours and then move inland across eastern and northern South Carolina later Wednesday and into west-central North Carolina by Wednesday night.

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Maximum sustained winds are near 45 mph with higher gusts.

Bertha is expected to produce total rain accumulation of 2 to 4 inches with isolated totals of 8 inches across eastern and central South Carolina into west central to far southeastern North Carolina and southwest Virginia. The rainfall may produce life-threatening flash flooding.