Tropical Storm Bertha (2020): Track, Deaths, Damage and Rainfall

The storm

Basin: North Atlantic
Dates: May 27, 2020 to May 28, 2020
Peak strength: Tropical Storm, 45 kt (52 mph)
Lowest pressure: 1005 mb (29.68 inHg)
Landfall: Yes
Accumulated cyclone energy: 0.4
Tropical-storm-force wind reached: 20 nmi (37 km, 23 mi) from the center at its widest
Eyewall radius at its peak: 20 nmi (37 km, 23 mi)
Overall size: 150 nmi (278 km, 173 mi) to the outermost closed isobar
Peak gust in the best track: 40 kt (46 mph)
Fastest the center moved: 29 kt (33 mph)
Identifier: AL022020

Radar at KCLX as it neared land, May 27, 13:30 UTC

Deaths and damage

The sources count different things and are not added together.

National Hurricane Center

0 direct deathsnone recorded in the United States

The season table in NHC’s report archive, final report. Direct deaths are those caused by the storm’s own wind, water or surge, anywhere in the world.

NOAA Storm Events

0 deaths (0 direct, 0 indirect)$97,000

What National Weather Service offices recorded county by county in 7 states and marine areas, in the United States only. Property and crop damage as each office estimated it, which is not a national loss total.

Landfall

Time (UTC)	Where	Position	Wind	Pressure
May 27, 13:30	Isle of Palms, SC, 15 km away	32.9N 79.7W	45 kt (52 mph)	1005 mb

Landfall points the US agencies flagged in the best track. The nearest town is named from the site’s gazetteer, not from the report.

In the United States

NOAA’s Storm Events database, the record National Weather Service offices compile months after a storm, as compiled March 2026.

Deaths: 0 (0 direct, 0 indirect)
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $96,500
Crop damage: $500
Events recorded: 28 in 9 reports from 7 states and marine areas

State by state

State or marine area	Damage	Events
North Carolina	$58,000	4
New York	$18,000	5
West Virginia	$16,000	4
Florida	$4,000	2
South Carolina	$1,000	6
Atlantic South		5
Lake Erie		2

What was recorded

7 marine thunderstorm wind, 7 flood, 6 thunderstorm wind, 5 flash flood, 1 hail, 1 tropical depression, 1 tornado.

Tornadoes and waterspouts

1 tornado recorded in the United States, strongest first.

Rating	County	State	Time (UTC)	Path	Width	Deaths	Injuries
EF0	Warren	North Carolina	May 27, 23:08	0.2 mi	150 yd

Rainfall

The Weather Prediction Center attributes 4,408 rain gauge totals over the contiguous United States to this storm. The wettest reached 13.62 inches (346 mm).

Station	Total	Position
MIAMI INTL ARPT	13.62 in (346 mm)	25.79N 80.32W
Hobe Sound 0.6 WNW	13.25 in (337 mm)	27.08N 80.15W
MIAMI WFO	13.05 in (331 mm)	25.75N 80.37W
El Portal 0.4 NW	13.01 in (330 mm)	25.86N 80.20W
Coral Gables 4.1 NNW	12.53 in (318 mm)	25.76N 80.28W
Biscayne Park 0.3 E	12.40 in (315 mm)	25.88N 80.18W
HIALEAH	12.18 in (309 mm)	25.82N 80.29W
Stuart 5.9 SSE	12.18 in (309 mm)	27.12N 80.20W
South Miami 0.9 SSE	11.48 in (292 mm)	25.70N 80.29W
Stuart 4.9 S	11.25 in (286 mm)	27.12N 80.26W
Tavernier 0.3 SSE	11.08 in (281 mm)	25.01N 80.52W
Hammocks 0.5 SSE	11.03 in (280 mm)	25.66N 80.44W

WPC’s storm rainfall file, 1900 to 2020, compiled by David Roth.

Wind reports

The strongest winds National Weather Service offices recorded with this storm. An estimated figure is a forecaster’s judgment from the damage, not an instrument reading.

Wind	How	Where	State	Time (UTC)
55 kt (63 mph)	Estimated	.45 SE of JUPITER	Florida	May 27, 19:50
52 kt (60 mph)	Estimated	1.76 ENE of NEW BREMEN	New York	May 29, 20:10
50 kt (58 mph)	Estimated	1 W of MANNSVILLE	New York	May 29, 17:57
43 kt (49 mph)	Measured	4.63 NW of KREAMER ISLAND	Atlantic South	May 27, 18:45
39 kt (45 mph)	Measured	3.94 ENE of BUCKHEAD RIDGE	Atlantic South	May 27, 19:00
37 kt (43 mph)	Measured	DUNKIRK	Lake Erie	May 29, 20:17
37 kt (43 mph)	Measured	DUNKIRK	Lake Erie	May 29, 20:17

What forecast offices wrote

From the Storm Events narratives, unedited.

Wind gusts from a thunderstorm produced a 43 mph (37 kt) wind gust at the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) mesonet site L006 located in the southern end of Lake Okeechobee.
Lake Okeechobee, Atlantic South · Marine Thunderstorm Wind · May 27, 18:30 UTC

Wind gusts from a thunderstorm produced a 45 mph (39 kt) wind gust at the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) mesonet site L001 located in the northern end of Lake Okeechobee.
Lake Okeechobee, Atlantic South · Marine Thunderstorm Wind · May 27, 19:00 UTC

Law enforcement reported a tree down, or a large portion of a tree down, on the road in the vicinity of the intersection of A1A and Toney Penna Drive, requiring maintenance intervention for cleaning. This wind damage was in association with a cluster of thunderstorms that crossed portions of Palm Beach County during the afternoon hours. Estimated wind gust in the 50 to 60 kt (60-65 mph) range.
Palm Beach, Florida · Thunderstorm Wind · May 27, 19:50 UTC

Spotter reported water covering the roadway on New Cut Church Rd where it crosses South Prong Camp Creek. Report and photo relayed via social media. Times estimated.
Lancaster, South Carolina · Flood · May 27, 22:46 UTC

A tornado associated with the outer rain bands of Tropical Storm Bertha briefly touched down in northwest Warren County. The damage consisted of a destroyed outbuilding and numerous uprooted and snapped trees. In addition to a Tornado Debris Signature on the doppler radar, a convergent inflow pattern was noted in the tall grass that way laid downed in the tornado path.
Warren, North Carolina · Tornado · May 27, 23:08 UTC

Trained spotter reported flooding, south of Tradesville, on Old Camden Monroe Hwy, between Shiloh Unity Rd and SC Hwy 9, where the road crosses North Branch Wildcat Creek. Reported relayed via social media with a video showing the flooding. Times estimated.
Lancaster, South Carolina · Flash Flood · May 28, 00:04 UTC

A stream gauge on the Rocky River above Irish Buffalo Creek indicated flooding developed, mainly along tributaries of the river, including Back Creek, Irish Buffalo Creek, and Dutch Buffalo Creek after 2 to 2.5 inches of rain fell across Cabarrus County in around 12 hours. Multiple roads were inundated, including Stallings Rd, Poplar Tent Rd, Bowman-Berrier Rd, Mount Pleasant Rd, and Highway 200.
Cabarrus, North Carolina · Flood · May 28, 04:30 UTC

In the town of Pinch, the intersection of Indian Creek Road, South Pinch Road, and Quick Road became impassable due to high water. Similar high water issues occurred in Clendenin at the intersection of Thorofare Road and Bethmont Drive as well as the intersection of Elk River Road and Crabapple Lane. Also in Kanawha County, high water on 10th Street in Dunbar created travel issues just in time for the morning rush hour.
Kanawha, West Virginia · Flash Flood · May 28, 07:30 UTC

Afternoon convection resulted in high water issues in multiple places across the county. Issues arose at 35th and 7th Avenue in North Charleston, across portions of MacCorkle Avenue in Chesapeake, and the intersection of Quick Road and South Pinch Road near the town of Pinch.
Kanawha, West Virginia · Flash Flood · May 29, 01:30 UTC

Multiple reports of trees down in Lowville were received, including on West State St, Eugene St, Bostwick St, and Stewart St.
Lewis, New York · Thunderstorm Wind · May 29, 20:07 UTC

Track

Time (UTC)	Position	Wind	Pressure	Status
May 27, 06:00	31.5N 78.8W	40 kt	1006 mb	Tropical storm
May 27, 12:00	32.6N 79.5W	45 kt	1005 mb	Tropical storm
May 27, 13:30 landfall	32.9N 79.7W	45 kt	1005 mb	Tropical storm
May 27, 18:00	33.7N 80.1W	30 kt	1007 mb	Tropical depression
May 28, 00:00	34.9N 80.7W	25 kt	1008 mb	Tropical depression
May 28, 06:00	37.1N 81.1W	20 kt	1011 mb	Extratropical
May 28, 12:00	39.9N 80.6W	20 kt	1011 mb	Extratropical

Other North Atlantic storms of 2020

What this means

A best track is the record a warning agency settles on after the storm, not what it said at the time: position, maximum sustained wind and central pressure every six hours, revised against every observation that came in later. Category is the Saffir-Simpson scale, which runs from Category 1 at 64 kt to Category 5 at 137 kt and reads wind only, so it says nothing about surge or rain. Accumulated cyclone energy adds up the square of the wind through the storm's life, so it counts strength and duration together.

Sources

Storm history from NOAA NCEI’s International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS), which merges the official best track of every warning agency. Live storms, cones, watches and warnings from the National Hurricane Center and the Central Pacific Hurricane Center. Archived radar from NOAA’s Level II archive.