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Tropical Storm Bertha is continuing on its westward path on Wednesday morning, July 22, with tropical storm conditions expected to continue along the northern Gulf coast.
The National Hurricane Center said in a 4 a.m. CDT advisory Wednesday Bertha was located about 50 miles east-northeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River with maximum sustained winds near 50 mph with higher gusts. Gradual weakening is expected over the next several days, forecasters said.
NHC forecasters said Bertha's general westward motion is expected to continue through Friday, July 24, with little acceleration. Bertha's path is expected to remain near or along the northern Gulf Coast during the next couple of days.
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Bertha to bring rainfall, possible flooding
Bertha is expected to produce rainfall totals of 1-4 inches, with isolated higher totals of 6 inches, through Thursday along the central to western Gulf Coast from western Florida to southern Texas, forecasters said, with the rainfall potentially producing flash flooding, especially in urban areas.
Tropical storm warnings remain in effect from the Okaloosa/Walton County Line in Florida westward to Morgan City, Louisiana, as well as for New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain. Tropical storm watches were in effect from west of Morgan City to Cameron, Louisiana, and for Lake Maurepas, Louisiana, according to the hurricane center.
Swells generated by Bertha are expected to continue spreading westward along the northern Gulf Coast during the next few days, forecasters said, with these swells likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.
Forecasters also warn the combination of storm surge and tide could flood normally dry areas near the immediate coast and inland from the shoreline. The highest inundation, up to 4 feet, was possible from the mouth of the Mississippi River in Louisiana to the Alabama-Florida border, the hurricane center said.
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.
Contributing: Doyle Rice, N'dea Yancey-Bragg, Thao Nguyen and Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY
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: Where is Tropical Storm Bertha headed? See path tracker
