Tropical Storm Bertha hugs Louisiana coast, targets Texas, NHC says

Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel on Jul 23, 2026

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ORLANDO, Fla. — Tropical Storm Bertha continued to skirt Louisiana’s Gulf Coast on Thursday expected to keep its strength until moving into Texas later in the day, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The system made landfall Wednesday at 3 p.m. with 45 mph sustained winds in St. Bernard Parish near the Biloxi Wildlife Management Area, then passed south of New Orleans before moving back out over the water.

By 8 a.m. Thursday, the center of Bertha was located about 145 miles west-southwest of New Orleans and 70 miles southeast of Lake Charles, Louisiana moving west at 13 mph, still with 45 mph sustained winds and higher gusts.

A tropical storm warning remains in effect for the he Gulf Coast from the Terrebonne/Lafourche Parish line,Louisiana, to Sargent, Texas.

“A generally westward motion is expected through tonight, followed by a turn toward the west-southwest on Friday,” said NHC senior hurricane specialist Brad Reinhart. “On the forecast track, the center of Bertha will move near or along the Louisiana and upper Texas coasts through this afternoon, and then move farther inland over Texas this evening and tonight.”

Tropical-storm-force winds still extend outward up to 160 miles from Bertha’s center.

The National Ocean Service station at Eugene Island, Louisiana, recently reported sustained winds of 36 mph with a wind gust of 45 mph.

Much of the rain, though, is situated to the south in the Gulf.

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

“Little change in strength is expected today, and Bertha is forecast to maintain tropical storm intensity until it reaches the upper Texas coast later today,” Reinhart said. “Bertha is expected to dissipate inland over Texas by tonight or Friday.”

The storm 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.

Storm surge is forecast to be from 1-3 feet above normal from Port Bolivar, Texas to the mouth of the Mississippi River.

Rainfall amounts of 2-4 inches with some areas getting up to 6 inches are forecast through Thursday night for the the Texas Gulf Coast and South Texas that could produce isolated 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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