Tropical Storm Bertha strengthens as warnings extend into Florida, NHC says

Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel on Jul 21, 2026

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Tropical Storm Bertha strengthened Tuesday as it moved closer to the Gulf Coast, and the National Hurricane Center extended tropical storm warnings into Florida.

As of the NHC’s 8 p.m. EDT advisory, the center of Bertha was located about 120 miles west-southwest of Panama City and 105 miles south-southeast of Mobile, Alabama, moving west at 6 mph with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph and higher gusts.

Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 115 miles from Bertha’s center. A wind gust to 43 mph was recently reported at Pensacola Beach.

“A west-northwestward or westward motion is expected Wednesday through Friday,” NHC senior hurricane specialist Richard Pasch said. “On the forecast track, Bertha will move near or along the northern Gulf Coast during the next couple of days.”

The NHC extended a tropical storm warning to include seven Florida counties, so it now runs from the Bay-Gulf County line west to Morgan City, Louisiana, and also includes metropolitan New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain.

A tropical storm watch is in effect for west of Morgan City to Cameron, Louisiana, and Lake Maurepas.

A storm surge warning that had been in place for parts of the Gulf Coast was discontinued, but the National Weather Service has issued flood warnings for parts of the southeastern Louisiana and Mississippi coastline.

What had been the second tropical depression of the Atlantic hurricane season spun into a named storm by 8 p.m. Monday with 40 mph winds, but had picked up steam by 11 p.m. and intensified further through Tuesday morning.

NHC senior hurricane specialist Brad Reinhart said models show the system is likely at its peak intensity and should begin to gradually weaken over the next few days.

“Bertha remains an asymmetric tropical storm, with most of the rainfall and the strongest winds occurring to the south and east of the center,” he said. “Strong northeasterly vertical wind shear over Bertha is forecast to persist today and tonight, which should make it difficult for Bertha to strengthen much more.”

Tropical-storm conditions are expected within the warning area later Tuesday and into Wednesday while conditions are possible in the watch area in Louisiana on Wednesday.

Storm surge of 2-4 feet could hit from the mouth of the Mississippi River to the Mississippi-Alabama border, with 1-3 feet from Cameron, Louisiana, to the mouth of the Mississippi, from the Mississippi-Alabama border east to the Aucilla River in Florida and Lake Pontchartrain.

In addition, rainfall of 2-4 inches through Thursday, with some areas seeing up to 6 inches, is forecast along the Gulf Coast and adjacent inland locations from western Florida into southern Louisiana, including southern portions of Alabama and Mississippi, with a threat of flash flooding.

Swells along the coast could cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.

Short-lived Tropical Storm Arthur was the season’s first named storm that developed in the Gulf and brought floods to Texas and Louisiana in June.

Cristobal is the next name on the hurricane season list, followed by Dolly.

The season officially began June 1 and runs through Nov. 30. The height of hurricane season runs from mid-August into October.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration expects this season to be below normal with the official forecast released in late May calling for 8-14 named storms, of which 3-6 would become hurricanes. Of those, 1-3 would become major hurricanes reaching Category 3 status or above.

An average season has 14 named storms, seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes.

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