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Forecasters with the National Weather Service (NWS) are monitoring Tropical Storm Bertha after radar indicated it had strengthened on Tuesday, July 21.
Hurricane Hunters with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) upgraded what was once a Tropical Depression to a Tropical Storm after measuring surface winds between 39 and 73 mph.
When is Tropical Storm Bertha supposed to hit?
The system is still moving northwest and, as of 7 a.m., is about 100 miles south-southwest of Panama City, Florida, and 175 miles southeast of Mobile, Alabama. Meteorologists at the NWS's San Antonio and Austin offices say it will continue moving west through Wednesday, July 23. It could slide into the upper Texas coast as a tropical depression by early Friday, July 25.
"Bertha is expected to produce rainfall amounts of 2 inches or less along the Gulf Coast from southern Louisiana into portions of Texas and adjacent inland locations late in the week," the National Hurricane Center and the Central Pacific Hurricane Center wrote on its website. "This rainfall may produce isolated instances of flash flooding."
Areas along the Gulf Coast and adjacent inland locations from western Florida into southern Louisiana, including the southern portions of Alabama and Mississippi, could also receive 2 to 4 inches of rainfall through Thursday. Tropical storm warnings, defined as areas where "tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area within 36 hours," are in effect for parts of Alabama, Florida, and Louisiana, including New Orleans.
There are currently no impacts expected from Tropical Storm Bertha in the South-Central region through Thursday. However, it's too soon to determine how the area could be affected beyond those days. Texans are being urged to stay up to date on its movement. Visit MySA's weather page for more updates.
CBS Austin meteorologist Avery Tomasco explained in a post on X.com that the system will be "battling dry air intrusion, increasing northeasterly wind shear, and some land interaction with Louisiana once it makes its turn to the west." He expects the bulk of its moisture and rainfall to fall in the southern half of the state.
"It is highly unlikely at this point that Bertha brings a flood threat to Central Texas between Thursday and Saturday," Tomasco said. "You all know how quickly that can change...Please continue to pay attention..."
The NWS's seven-day forecast shows a 20% chance of showers in San Antonio on the evening of Saturday, July 26, and during daylight hours on Sunday, July 27.
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