Tropical Storm Bertha made landfall on the southern tip of Louisiana on Wednesday. The storm brought strong winds to areas far from its center, affecting beaches from the Florida Panhandle to Mississippi. According to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Bertha reached land in St. Bernard Parish, around 40 miles east of New Orleans and 45 miles southwest of Biloxi, Mississippi.
The main threats from the storm included wind and storm surge, impacting the Deep South states. Coastal areas saw closures of parks, piers, and some low-lying roads. A tropical storm warning was in place from the Alabama-Florida border to Louisiana, covering metropolitan New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain.
Tropical storm force winds from Bertha extended over 100 miles from its center. Forecasters predicted a storm surge of up to 3 feet in Louisiana accompanied by heavy rain in certain areas. Expected rainfall ranged from 2 to 4 inches, with higher amounts possible in isolated regions.
“For Bertha, the wind bands matter more than the landfall,” said Robbie Berg, warning coordination meteorologist with the National Hurricane Center.
Bertha is anticipated to weaken over the coming days as it travels toward Texas, having earlier passed by the Florida Panhandle and parts of Alabama and Mississippi. At landfall, the storm’s maximum sustained winds reached 45 mph.
Elsewhere in the U.S., storms this week have caused reports of tornadoes from Cincinnati to New Jersey. Torrential rains led to flash floods in West Virginia on Tuesday night, swamping homes, washing out bridges, and prompting water rescues.
Authorities in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Florida set up sandbag distribution sites to help residents potentially affected by Tropical Storm Bertha. Double-red flag warnings were issued at some beaches, barring access to swimmers.
“For locals, this is just another storm,” commented Candice Henderson, manager of the Crab Trap, a beachside restaurant in Pensacola, Florida’s Perdido Key. “When you’re on vacation and it’s raining, you either shop or you go out to eat.”
Bertha is the second tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season. The first, Tropical Storm Arthur, brought heavy rainfall to the southeastern U.S. in June. Bertha’s rains may affect Mississippi’s coastal areas, which continue recovering from flooding associated with Arthur that damaged homes.
In the Pacific, Hurricane Fausto remained far from land. Positioned hundreds of miles west-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California, its maximum sustained winds were at 80 mph. The hurricane is expected to gradually strengthen. Ocean swells from Fausto could create hazardous surf and rip tide conditions along the Baja California coast.
Compiled with reports from Julie Walker in New York and Kim Chandler in Montgomery, Alabama.