Over the following days, it slowly developed and acquired gale-force winds and enough convection to be designated as Tropical Storm Bertha early on August 1.

Enhanced swells and rip currents associated with the hurricane resulted in three fatalities and dozens of rescues along the East Coast of the United States.

Following the development of convective activity —showers and thunderstorms— on July 26, National Hurricane Center (NHC) began monitoring the system for potential tropical cyclogenesis.

[1][4] An area of low pressure subsequently consolidated within the disturbance on July 29 and the NHC assessed the system as having high chance of becoming a tropical depression.

[6] Moving west-northwest around the periphery of a strong subtropical ridge,[7] the low acquired tropical storm-force winds early on July 31 but continued to lack convection.

In the hours following the weather reconnaissance mission, a band of deep convection blossomed near the center, prompting the NHC to designate the system as Tropical Storm Bertha at 00:00 UTC on August 1.

[1][7] Within hours of Bertha's designation on August 1, wind shear stemming from a trough over the central Atlantic displaced convection from the circulation center.

[1][9] Satellite imagery depicted a well-defined and vigorous circulation; however, observations from the hurricane hunters indicated a wind field more akin to a tropical wave.

[11] Persistent shear continued to take its toll on the cyclone as it entered the Caribbean Sea with aircraft data indicating no closed circulation at 5,000 ft (1,500 m) elevation.

Despite this, observations from Martinique and Dominica indicated that there was some semblance of a surface circulation, and the NHC continued to monitor Bertha as a tropical storm.

[12] Throughout August 2, convection steadily increased in coverage and organization though the center of Bertha remained displaced from the strongest thunderstorms to the southwest.

NEXRAD weather radar imagery from San Juan, Puerto Rico depicted a disorganized, possibly open circulation throughout the day.

In light of this, NHC forecaster John Beven noted that the system could degenerate into an open wave around the time in reached Hispaniola later on August 2.

[13] Continued effects of dry air entrainment, shear, and land interaction further degraded Bertha's structure and late on August 2, "the system barely [qualified] as a tropical cyclone".

[14] Early on August 3, the disheveled storm moved through the Mona Passage and brushed the eastern coast of the Dominican Republic before emerging over the Atlantic Ocean.

[16] Moving near the Turks and Caicos Islands,[17] Bertha's circulation finally became better organized and banding features developing over its eastern periphery.

[1] Subsequent strengthening of upper-level outflow, decreased shear, increased mid-level humidity, and high sea surface temperatures enabled rapid intensification.

[19][20] During the early part of August 4, structural organization began to degrade with convection becoming more limited in extent and banding features dissipating.

[23] Acceleration to the north-northeast ahead of a trough off the East Coast of the United States ensued as the system weakened below hurricane intensity during the overnight of August 4–5.

The system raced eastward across the Atlantic and ultimately degraded into a trough several hundred miles southwest of Ireland on August 9.

[37] Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit declared a public holiday for the afternoon of August 1 in order for all workers to return home in advance of the storm.

[39] The outer edges of Bertha produced near-hurricane-force around the United States Virgin Islands, with an offshore buoy near St. Thomas measuring a gust of 72 mph (116 km/h).

[51] Though Bertha remained hundreds of miles offshore, long-period swells resulted in dangerous rip currents across the East Coast of the United States.

[74] A Gold Duke of Edinburgh expedition team from 1st Raffrey Boys' Brigade were forced to airlift a crew member to safety after sustaining injuries caused by severe weather conditions in the Mournes.

The team of five, part of a larger group of thirty, required the assistance of a helicopter from Dublin to save the fallen traveller and winched him to safety.

[75] Twenty vessels competing in the 2014 EXE Sails GP14 World Championships were caught in high winds produced by the storm and capsized in the Strangford Lough.

[76] The outer bands of Bertha's remnants produced a prolonged period of severe weather over mainland Europe, extending from France to Sweden.