Tropical Storm Bertha, the second tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season following last month's Tropical Storm Arthur, churned across the northeastern Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday. The storm caused conditions to spread across portions of the northern Gulf Coast and led to the closure of beaches from the Florida Panhandle to Mississippi, while a separate weather system threatened severe thunderstorms and heavy rain across the U.S. Northeast.
The storm made landfall in southern Louisiana on Wednesday afternoon, packing strong winds far from its center. Bertha is moving westward along the Louisiana and upper Texas coasts, bringing rainfall, winds, and rising water levels.
Forecasters warn of dangerous surf, heavy rain, and coastal flooding as the storm tracks toward the Texas coast. The primary threat consists of tropical storm force winds, which extend approximately 100 miles from the center of the storm.
Bertha is expected to move inland over Texas on Thursday evening. The storm should weaken rapidly over land after its center comes onshore Thursday afternoon.