JEFFREY COLLINS
Associated Press
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Tropical Storm Bertha surprised the South Carolina coast Wednesday, forming and making landfall within two hours, bringing a poor beach day of rain and gusty winds, but no major problems.
Forecasters expected the bad weather, but didn't predict it to organize so quickly and become the second named storm before the official start of this year's Atlantic hurricane season.
Bertha was named around 8 a.m. Wednesday and was onshore east of Charleston by 9:30 a.m. The state Department of Natural Resources called it "a sunrise surprise."
Like almost all storms with heavy rain, several streets flooded in Charleston, leaving ankle to calf high brown water mixed with trash from knocked over cans Wednesday. Sea rise and an antiquated drain
