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Tropical Storm Bertha continued crawling west along the northern Gulf Coast early Wednesday, July 22, with forecasters tracking the storm’s path toward Louisiana and Texas while warning of tropical storm conditions, coastal flooding and isolated flash flooding through the end of the week.
As of the National Hurricane Center’s 4 a.m. CDT advisory, Bertha was located near latitude 29.4 North, longitude 88.3 West, about 165 miles west-southwest of Panama City, Florida, and about 50 miles east-northeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River. The storm had maximum sustained winds near 50 mph and was moving west at 5 mph.
“Bertha is moving toward the west near 5 mph, and this general motion is expected to continue through Friday with a little acceleration,” the National Hurricane Center said Wednesday morning. “On the forecast track, Bertha will move near or along the northern Gulf Coast during the next couple of days.”
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Will Tropical Storm Bertha impact the Northeast?
Tropical Storm Bertha is not forecast to directly impact the Northeast or Mid-Atlantic, including Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware or New York, based on the latest National Hurricane Center forecast track. The current cone keeps Bertha along the northern Gulf Coast before the storm weakens and dissipates over or near Texas later this week.
For Northeast and Mid-Atlantic readers, the main takeaway is that Bertha is a Gulf Coast storm, not an East Coast threat. However, the storm remains closely watched because it is the second named storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season, and hurricane season runs through Nov. 30.
Where is Tropical Storm Bertha now?
Bertha was near the northern Gulf Coast Wednesday morning and slowly moving west. The National Hurricane Center said tropical-storm-force winds extended outward up to 105 miles from the center, with a wind gust of 49 mph reported at the Orange Beach Buoy off the Alabama coast and a gust up to 56 mph reported by an offshore oil platform in the Mississippi Canyon.
An 8 a.m. update cited by local weather reports placed Bertha about 45 miles northeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River and about 60 miles south of Pascagoula, Mississippi, with maximum sustained winds still near 50 mph and movement west at 5 mph.
➤ Spaghetti models for Tropical Storm Bertha
What is the forecast path for Tropical Storm Bertha?
The National Hurricane Center forecast shows Bertha moving near or along the northern Gulf Coast Wednesday and Thursday before weakening. The forecast advisory placed the storm near the coast by Wednesday afternoon, near the Louisiana coast early Thursday, near the Texas-Louisiana coastal region later Thursday and inland or post-tropical by early Friday.
The NHC forecast advisory projects Bertha will weaken from a tropical storm with 45-knot sustained winds Wednesday morning to a post-tropical inland system by early Friday, with dissipation forecast by Friday afternoon.
What watches and warnings are in effect for Tropical Storm Bertha?
A Tropical Storm Warning was in effect Wednesday morning from the Okaloosa/Walton County Line in Florida to Morgan City, Louisiana, including metropolitan New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain, according to the National Hurricane Center. A Tropical Storm Watch was in effect west of Morgan City, Louisiana, to Cameron, Louisiana, and for Lake Maurepas.
AccuWeather reported Wednesday morning that tropical storm warnings stretched from Florida to Louisiana as Bertha approached the Gulf Coast, while a Tropical Storm Watch extended farther west from Morgan City to Sargent, Texas. AccuWeather said residents and visitors across the central Gulf Coast should monitor forecast updates and prepare for changing conditions as Bertha moves closer to land.
Will Tropical Storm Bertha become a hurricane?
Bertha is not expected to become a hurricane. The National Hurricane Center said gradual weakening is forecast to continue over the next several days, and forecast guidance shows the storm becoming post-tropical or dissipating by late Thursday or Friday.
The Weather Channel reported that Bertha is battling strong wind shear, which has pushed much of the storm’s thunderstorm activity away from its center and kept the system lopsided. That unfavorable setup is one reason forecasters expect Bertha to weaken rather than intensify.
What impacts will Tropical Storm Bertha bring?
The biggest threats from Bertha are expected along the Gulf Coast, where forecasters warned of tropical storm conditions, coastal flooding, gusty winds, heavy rain and isolated flash flooding. The National Hurricane Center said a Coastal Flood Warning was in effect for the Mississippi and Louisiana coastlines, where moderate coastal flooding was expected.
The NHC said storm surge and tide could cause normally dry areas near the coast to flood, with water reaching 2 to 4 feet above ground from the mouth of the Mississippi River to the Mississippi/Alabama border, 1 to 3 feet from the Mississippi/Alabama border to the Okaloosa/Walton County Line in Florida, 1 to 3 feet from Port Bolivar, Texas, to the mouth of the Mississippi River and 1 to 3 feet on Lake Pontchartrain.
How much rain will Tropical Storm Bertha bring?
The National Hurricane Center warned that isolated flash flooding remains possible through early Friday along the central to western Gulf Coast, from western Florida to southern Texas.
AccuWeather said Bertha is expected to spread flooding rain, gusty winds, storm surge and dangerous rip currents along the Gulf Coast from the Florida Panhandle to Louisiana, with Texas impacts possible later in the week.
When will Tropical Storm Bertha dissipate?
Bertha is forecast to lose strength as it moves near the Gulf Coast and interacts with land. The National Hurricane Center’s Wednesday forecast advisory shows the system becoming post-tropical or inland by early Friday and dissipating by Friday afternoon.
The Weather Channel also reported that whatever remains of Bertha is forecast to move into eastern Texas by late Thursday or early Friday before dissipating.
What should Northeast and Mid-Atlantic residents know?
For Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, New York and the broader Northeast, Bertha is not currently a direct threat. The storm’s forecast path remains focused on the Gulf Coast, especially Louisiana and Texas, and the National Hurricane Center does not show Bertha turning up the East Coast.
Still, Bertha is a reminder that the Atlantic hurricane season is active and can change quickly.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Where is Tropical Storm Bertha headed? Latest tracker, forecast path and cone
