Tropical Depression Two developed before sun-up Thursday morning off the coast of Africa, and by midday Thursday the National Hurricane Center had upgraded it to Tropical Storm Bertha.

It's the time of year when the hurricane season is expected to pick up, but Bertha developed in the most unlikely of places.

Tropical Storm Bertha is the first storm on record to develop off the African coast in July. July storms typically develop in the Gulf of Mexico, the Eastern Caribbean Sea, or in the Western Atlantic off the coast of the Carolinas or Florida.

Although no other storms have developed off the African coast in the month of July, some of the worst storms in history did develop there.

Hurricane Frederic formed in late August of 1979. Frederic was a category four hurricane when it made landfall near Mobile Bay. The strong winds from the hurricane literally emptied Mobile Bay. Other hurricanes that took similar paths include Hurricane Georges in 1998 and Hurricane Ivan in 2004.

In 1989, Hurricane Hugo developed in the middle of September. Hugo devastated the northeast Caribbean Sea as a category four hurricane before slamming into the South Carolina coast at category three status.

In 1995, Hurricane Luis developed in late August off the coast of Africa. Luis was a major problem in the northeast Caribbean Sea before weakening in the North Atlantic.

Although Bertha is expected to take a less threatening track across the Atlantic, the storm still bears watching simply because the region in which Bertha developed is notorious for developing the worst storms on the record books.