Tropical Storm Bertha forms off the South Carolina coast

MIAMI (AP) — Tropical Storm Bertha has formed off the coast of South Carolina, becoming the second named storm before the official start of this year’s Atlantic hurricane season.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center says a tropical storm warning has been issued Wednesday morning for South Carolina’s coast and the storm was expected to bring heavy rainfall.

Bertha’s maximum sustained winds are near 45 mph but it’s expected to weaken to a tropical depression after moving inland.

The storm is centered about 30 miles east-southeast of Charleston, South Carolina, and is moving northwest near 9 mph.