Tropical Storm Bertha strengthened in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday morning, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). As of 5 a.m. ET, the storm was moving northwest at 5 mph with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph. Bertha is the second named storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season, following Tropical Storm Arthur in June.
Federal forecasters issued a Tropical Storm Warning from the Alabama-Florida border to the Jefferson-Plaquemines Parish border in Louisiana. Tropical Storm Watches were also established for the Florida Panhandle and additional coastal areas in Louisiana, including the New Orleans metropolitan area. A Storm Surge Watch is currently active from the Alabama-Florida border to the mouth of the Mississippi River.
The NHC reported that the storm is expected to move near or along the northern Gulf Coast over the next several days. Potential impacts include rainfall of up to 6 inches, which may lead to flash flooding in parts of Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Meteorologists also stated that storm surges could raise water levels by as much as 4 feet in certain coastal locations between Florida and Texas.