Tropical Storm Bertha slogs along just south of 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 11 a.m. EDT advisory, the center of Bertha was located about 40 miles south of Pascagoula, Mississippi and 55 miles north-northeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River, moving west-northwest at 6 mph with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph and higher gusts.

“A westward motion with an increase in forward speed is expected to resume later today and continue through Friday,” said NHC Warning Coordination Meteorologist Robbie Berg. “On the forecast track, the center of Bertha will move near or along the Louisiana and upper Texas coasts through Thursday, and then move farther inland into Texas on Friday.”

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 Sargent, Texas and Lake Maurepas.

Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 105 miles from Bertha’s center.

The storm had diminished since Tuesday, when it had sustained winds of up to 60 mph.

“Weakening is forecast during the next couple of days, but Bertha could maintain tropical storm intensity through late Thursday,” Berg said.

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

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, from Cameron, 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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