Hurricane Bertha (1990) - Preparations and Impact

Preparations and Impact

The formation of Bertha in close proximity of the East Coast of the United States prompted residents to stock up on emergency supplies and monitor the storm. The Maritimes Weather Center and National Hurricane Center began to issue warnings for Nova Scotia and most of Atlantic Canada on July 31 and August 1. By the following day, all warnings and advisories for Atlantic Canada were dropped as Bertha dissipated.

Bertha's broad circulation produced high waves which were reported along the southeastern coast of the United States, in North Carolina, the storm produced waves of 25–50 ft (7.6-15.2 m). The waves caused minor beach erosion along the North Carolina coastline including the Outer Banks. In Florida, rip currents from Bertha caused two drowning fatalities. 200 other swimmers were rescued from the rough seas. The vortex of Bertha forced warm air and blocked sea breezes from South Florida. As a result, record high temperatures were reported in West Palm Beach, Miami, Hollywood, and Miami Beach; temperatures also tied records in Fort Lauderdale. The extreme heat also shattered numerous sliding glass doors and exhausted several air conditioners.

Offshore, several ships came in contact with Bertha, many reported sustained winds of 35-58 mph (56–93 km/h) and a Canadian ship reported a barometric pressure of 985 mbar (29.1 inHg). The only reported shipwreck caused by Bertha was when the Corazon, a Greek freighter capsized and sank during the storm. The ship, which was off the coast of Cape Cod at the time of its sinking, was experiencing strong winds up to 78 mph (126 km/h) and 30 feet (9.1 m) waves. The rough seas caused the ships keel to break, causing the crewmen to send a distress signal and evacuate the sinking vessel. During the evacuation, one crewman drowned when trying to board a lifeboat, his body was later found by a Soviet merchant ship. Another merchant ship, the Vyapel spotted twelve of the 27 sailors in their liferaft and the crew of the Vyapel tried to rescue the sailors but to no avail as the rough seas caused the liferaft to drift near the ships propeller and rudder area. The turbulence caused by the ships propeller knocked seven sailors into the water, five of them drowned and a search for their bodies continued until the following day. The remaining 21 sailors were later rescued by crews of other freighters and merchant ships. An investigation by the United States Coast Guard revealed that the Corazans own lifeboats were in poor condition to use in case of an emergency.

Initially, the National Hurricane Center noted the possibility of Bertha impacting Bermuda. However, the storm bypassed Bermuda, which caused only minor effects on the island; limited to rough seas and wind gusts reaching 45 mph (72 km/h).

In Atlantic Canada, Bertha brought strong tropical storm force winds and heavy rainfall. Two weather stations in Braddeck, Nova Scotia and Hunters Mountain recorded 7 inches (177.8 mm) of rainfall. In Prince Edward Island, the storm produced a wind gust of 71 mph (115 km/h) and 4.72 inches (101.6 mm) of rain. A weather station in Port-aux-Basques, Newfoundland and Labrador reported a wind gust of 63 mph (102 km/h) and 2.51 inches (50 mm) of rain. The high winds brought by Bertha caused moderate damage to tobacco and corn crops in Prince Edward Island and damaged a suspension bridge in Nova Scotia. Heavy rainfall from Bertha caused minimal flooding at a golf course. In Peggys Cove, Nova Scotia, six people were injured when waves from Bertha washed them into the sea. Damage was estimated at $4.427 million (1990 CAD, $3.912 million 1990 USD).