Tropical Storm Bertha, the second named storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season, is moving toward the northern Gulf Coast, bringing threats of heavy rainfall, strong wind gusts, storm surge, and isolated tornadoes from Florida to Louisiana.
A Tropical Storm Warning spans from the Okaloosa-Walton county line in Florida westward to Morgan City, Louisiana, encompassing metropolitan New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain. A Tropical Storm Watch extends further west from Morgan City to Sargent, Texas, along with Lake Maurepas.
Forecasters project the storm to make its first landfall near southeastern Louisiana on Wednesday evening, with its center moving near or directly over New Orleans. Bertha is then expected to track back over the northern Gulf before making a second landfall along the Texas coast late Thursday night or early Friday morning.
Although wind shear has disrupted the storm’s structure—displacing most thunderstorm activity well south of its center—unusually warm Gulf waters continue to feed the system.
“The storm can still gradually strengthen, even though it’s battling wind shear,” said AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Expert Alex DaSilva. “The waters in the northern Gulf are well above the 80-degree threshold needed to sustain tropical development.”
DaSilva added that the storm’s coast-hugging path should help cap its overall wind intensity.
Storm surge along the coast from southeastern Louisiana to Florida’s Big Bend is forecast to reach 1 to 3 feet, with localized surge peaking as high as 5 feet.
“While the exact track of Bertha can still fluctuate over the next couple of days, heavy rainfall and hazardous marine conditions are expected regardless of the storm’s path,” said AccuWeather Meteorologist Breanna Grill.
The storm’s long-term behavior will depend largely on how much time its center spends over land versus open water.
“If Bertha were to remain over southern Louisiana and not make it back to the Gulf, much of its circulation could diminish prior to reaching Texas, and the storm would quickly transition from a tropical depression to a tropical rainstorm,” said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.
In coastal towns like Houma, Louisiana, residents spent Wednesday filling sandbags to protect homes from potential flash flooding, just a month after dealing with Tropical Storm Arthur.
“It’s better to get it earlier in the season anyway because you never know around here,” Houma resident Christine Bourdelon said.
Meteorologists and emergency officials urge residents across the central Gulf Coast to monitor local alerts as conditions deteriorate throughout the week.
READ: NWS Issues Weather Advisories For Tampa As Tropical Storm Bertha Eyes Florida And Louisiana
Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage.
Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox.
