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Florida residents are keeping a wary eye on Tropical Storm Bertha as the storm makes its presence felt in portions of the Panhandle.
Bertha strengthened as predicted Tuesday morning, July 21, but remains well short of reaching hurricane strength. Bertha is expected to remain a tropical storm as it moves slowly west or northwest across the Gulf.
➤ Live updates on Tropical Storm Bertha July 21
A tropical storm watch was upgraded to a tropical storm warning from the Bay/Gulf County line in Florida westward to the Florida/Alabama border. Some Florida impacts are predicted from Bertha, including some rain, gusty winds and dangerous surf. Tropical storm conditions were spreading westward along coastal portions of the Florida Panhandle, the National Hurricane Center reported in its 5 p.m. update.
Elsewhere, the tropics were quiet as of 5 p.m. July 21. The National Hurricane Center wasn't highlighting any disturbances on its tropical outlook map, but is watching three tropical waves in the Atlantic basin, including one in the Caribbean.
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Here's the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center as of 5 p.m. July 21:
When is hurricane season in Florida?
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30.
Ninety-seven percent of tropical cyclone activity occurs during this time period, NOAA said.
➤ Hurricane Center testing new cone: What's changing this season?
The Atlantic basin includes the northern Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of America, as the Gulf of Mexico is now known in the U.S. per an order from President Trump. NOAA and the National Hurricane Center are now using Gulf of America on its maps and in its advisories.
Countdown clock to end of 2026 Atlantic hurricane season
Highlights on Tropical Storm Bertha
Special note on the NHC cone: The forecast track shows the most likely path of the center of the storm. It does not illustrate the full width of the storm or its impacts, and the center of the storm could travel outside the cone. In 2026, the Hurricane Center is experimenting with a new cone to include 90% of forecast track possibilities instead of the previous 67% forecast error.
Spaghetti models for Tropical Storm Bertha
➤ Spaghetti models for Tropical Storm Bertha
Special note about spaghetti models: Illustrations include an array of forecast tools and models, and not all are created equal. The Hurricane Center uses only the top four or five highest performing models to help make its forecasts.
What impacts can Florida expect from Tropical Storm Bertha?
"Overall, Bertha is a low-grade tropical threat to North Florida and the Central Gulf Coast, and overall won’t be much different from a normal summer mix of sun and rain away from the immediate coast," said Dr. Ryan Truchelut, chief meteorologist at WeatherTiger, who works with the USA TODAY Network.
Tropical storm conditions were spreading westward in the Florida Panhandle as of 5 p.m., July 21, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Bertha is expected to produce total rainfall amounts of 2 to 4 inches with isolated higher totals around 6 inches through July 23 along the central Gulf Coast from western Florida into southern Louisiana, the National Hurricane Center said.
Areas of flash flooding will be possible through July 23 along the Gulf Coast and adjacent inland locations from the Florida Big Bend region to southern Louisiana, although the heaviest rain is forecast to remain over the Gulf, the National Weather Service Mobile said.
"The immediate coast from Cedar Key to Mobile could see peak gusts of low-end tropical-storm force (40-50 mph) in squally bands," Truchelut said.
"For inland areas of the Panhandle, a few localized gusts into the low-end tropical storm range are possible in the heaviest bands, but Bertha will not be a widespread wind damage event."
Swells generated by Bertha are affecting portions of the Gulf coast of Florida and will continue to spread westward over the next few days. These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.
There's a high risk of rip currents along the northern Gulf Coast, with surf building throughout the day and breakers of 8-11 feet late tonight through Wednesday night, the National Weather Service Mobile said.
Minor beach erosion possible in the middle to latter part of the week.
National Hurricane Center tracking 3 tropical waves
The National Hurricane Center is watching three tropical waves in the Atlantic basin, as of 8 a.m. July 21:
- An eastern Atlantic tropical wave is just west of the Cabo Verde Islands along 29W from 09N to 19W, moving west at 11 to 17 mph.
- A central Atlantic tropical wave is its axis along 47W from 09N to 23N, moving west at around 17 mph.
- A tropical wave over the far southwestern Caribbean is moving into central America along 83W, S of 18N. It is moving west at around 11 mph.
What is a tropical wave?
"Tropical waves are clusters of showers and thunderstorms that act as the seedlings for many tropical storms throughout the Atlantic season," said Alex DaSilva, AccuWeather lead hurricane expert, via email.
“There are about 60 tropical waves that move across the Atlantic each year, and roughly 10 percent to 15 percent of them develop into a tropical system. That’s about one in seven.
"Tropical waves are important because they contribute to about 80 percent of all major hurricanes."
A major hurricane is a storm that is a Category 3 or stronger, with maximum sustained winds of at least 111 mph.
How many tropical storms, hurricanes are in a typical season?
The 30-year average, from 1991 to 2020, is for 14 named storms, seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes.
Florida weather radar for July 21, 2026
Weather watches and warnings issued in Florida
When is the peak of hurricane season?
The peak of the season is Sept. 10, with the most activity happening between mid-August and mid-October, according to the Hurricane Center.
What are names for 2026 Atlantic hurricane season?
Here are the names for the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season and how to pronounce them:
- Arthur: Tropical Storm Arthur formed June 17, 2026.
- Bertha: Tropical Storm Bertha formed July 20, 2026
- Cristobal, krees-TOH-bahl
- Dolly, DAH-lee
- Edouard, eh-DWARD
- Fay, fay
- Gonzalo, gohn-SAH-loh
- Hanna, HAN-uh
- Isaias, ees-ah-EE-ahs
- Josephine, JOH-seh-feen
- Kyle, KY-ull
- Leah, LEE-ah
- Marco, MAR-koe
- Nana, NA-na
- Omar, OH-mar
- Paulette, pawl-LET
- Rene, re-NAY
- Sally, SAL-ee
- Teddy, TEHD-ee
- Vicky, VIH-kee
- Wilfred, WILL-fred
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What's next?
We will continue to update our tropical weather coverage to bring you the most current information you need to protect your home and family.
This story has been updated with new information.
Cheryl McCloud is a journalist for the USA TODAY Network-Florida's service journalism Connect team. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://tallahassee.com/newsletters.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: National Hurricane Center tracking Tropical Storm Bertha, 3 tropical waves
