Tropical Storm Bertha slogs along Gulf Coast, NHC says

Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel on Jul 22, 2026

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ORLANDO, Fla. — Tropical Storm Bertha weakened Wednesday as it moved west along the Gulf Coast, but still with portions of Florida under tropical storm warnings, according to the National Hurricane Center.

As of the NHC’s 5 a.m. advisory, the center of Bertha was located about 165 miles west-southwest of Panama City and 50 miles east-northeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River moving west at 5 mph with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph and higher gusts.

“This general motion is expected to continue through Friday with a little acceleration. On the forecast track, Bertha will move near or along the northern Gulf Coast during the next couple of days,” said NHC senior hurricane specialist Philippe Papin.

A tropical storm warning is in effect from the Okaloosa/Walton County line in Florida west to Morgan City, Louisiana as well as metropolitan New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain. A tropical storm watch is in effect for west of Morgan City, Louisiana, to Cameron, Louisiana and Lake Maurepas.

Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 105 miles from Bertha’s center. Early Wednesday, a wind gust of 49 mph was reported at Orange Beach Buoy, located offshore of the Alabama coastline. An elevated oil platform located well offshore in the Mississippi Canyon recently reported a sustained wind of 45 mph with a gust up to 56 mph.

The storm had sustained winds of up to 60 mph on Tuesday. It’s expected to gradually weaken further over the next couple of days.

Bertha grew out of what had been the second tropical depression of the Atlantic hurricane season, forming Monday.

Papin said wind shear and land interaction will add to its weakening over the next 24 hours.

“After that point, Bertha’s future likely depends on if the circulation remains along the Gulf coast, or if it attempts to reform further south under the convective bursts in the northwestern portion of the Gulf,” Papin said.

The NHC’s forecast track has it moving inland over Texas in 48 hours and becoming post-tropical.

For now, tropical-storm conditions continue to spread across portions of the northern Gulf.

The biggest storm surge threat is 2-4 feet above normal from the mouth of the Mississippi River to the Mississippi-Alabama border, and 1-3 feet from the Miss-Ala border to the Okaloosa/Walton County line in Florida, fromCameron, Louisiana to the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain.

Rainfall amounts of 1-4 inches with some areas getting up to 6 inches are forecast through Thursday along the central to western Gulf Coast from western Florida through southern Texas.

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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