Home / Weather / Tropical Storm Bertha Forms: Gulf Coast on Alert
Tropical Storm Bertha Forms: Gulf Coast on Alert
21 Jul
Summary
- Bertha formed evening of July 20, threatening coasts from Florida to Louisiana.
- Maximum sustained winds reached 40 mph as the storm drifted slowly west-northwest.
- A below-normal hurricane season is predicted, with Bertha being the second storm.
Tropical Storm Bertha formed on the evening of July 20, presenting a threat to the Florida Panhandle and the coasts of Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. As the second named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, Bertha intensified from a tropical depression, with its center located approximately 110 miles south of Panama City, Florida.
As of the latest advisory, Bertha exhibited maximum sustained winds of 40 mph and was moving slowly west-northwest. Tropical storm watches were issued for the Gulf Coast, anticipating strong winds, heavy rainfall totaling 2 to 4 inches with isolated amounts up to 8 inches, and hazardous surf conditions through Friday. This rainfall could lead to flash flooding, particularly in urban areas.
The emergence of Bertha comes as forecasters anticipate a below-normal Atlantic hurricane season, largely due to El Niño's influence. Projections indicate eight to 14 named storms, with three to six expected to become hurricanes, a decrease from the 1991-2020 average.
