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Tropical Storm Bertha is continuing its westward trek and is expected to make landfall along the northwestern Gulf Coast on Thursday, July 23, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The hurricane center said in a 4 a.m. CDT advisory Thursday that Bertha was located about 95 miles southeast of Lake Charles, Louisiana, with maximum sustained winds near 45 mph with higher gusts. Forecasters said little change in strength is expected today, as Bertha is expected to maintain tropical storm intensity up until it reaches the upper Texas coast later today.
NHC forecasters said Bertha will move near or along the Louisiana and upper Texas coasts Thursday afternoon and then move farther inland into Texas on Thursday night. The storm will maintain tropical storm intensity up until it reaches the upper Texas coast, where it is then expected to dissipate inland over Texas Thursday night or early Friday morning, July 24.
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A tropical storm warning remains in effect for the Terrebonne/Lafourche Parish line in Louisiana to Sargent, Texas, the NHC said, with Bertha expected to produce rainfall totals of 2-4 inches, with isolated totals as high as 6 inches, through Thursday night along the Texas Gulf Coast and southern Texas.
The swells generated by Bertha will also continue spreading westward along the northern Gulf Coast over the next few days, causing life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.
Tropical Storm Bertha path tracker
This 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 is likely to travel outside the cone up to 33% of the time.
Tropical Storm Bertha 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.
Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on X @GabeHauari or email him at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Track Tropical Storm Bertha's path as landfall is expected
