Tropical Storm Bertha Crawls Along Gulf Coast
Tropical Storm Bertha continues to crawl in the Gulf, becoming the first named Atlantic storm since Arthur in mid-June.
A Tropical Storm Warning has been issued from the Alabama and Florida border to the Jefferson-Plaquemines Parish border in Louisiana. A warning means tropical storm conditions are expected within the warning area in the next 36 hours.
A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for the Bay County and Gulf County line to the Florida and Alabama border as well as west of the Jefferson-Plaquemines Parish border to Morgan City in Louisiana. In addition, New Orleans, Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Maurepas are also included. A watch means that tropical storm-force conditions are possible in the watch area in the next 24 to 48 hours.
A Storm Surge Watch is in effect from the Gulf Coast near the Alabama-Florida border to the Mouth of the Mississippi River along the Louisiana coast.
As of 4 a.m. CDT/5 a.m. EDT, Tropical Storm Bertha was located near 28.7N and 86.4W, or about 110 miles south-southwest of Panama City, Fla., and 170 miles southeast of Mobile, Ala. Bertha has top sustained winds of 50 mph and is stationary. It has a minimum central pressure of 998 mb, or 29.47 inches of mercury.
An expansive high pressure system will form across the Deep South and Gulf Coast. This means that Bertha will be forced to travel west along the southern edge of this high pressure. Bertha’s track will remain close to the eastern and central Gulf Coast into Wednesday before possibly making landfall in Louisiana Wednesday night or Thursday morning.
Locally heavy rainfall within squally rain bands and tropical storm-force gusts may occur along parts of the Gulf Coast this week. The central and western Florida Panhandle to southeastern Louisiana will have the greatest risk for gusts exceeding 39 mph and locally heavy rainfall totals of 1 to 3 inches. A few spots could be drenched by 4 to 6 inches in far southeastern Louisiana near the storm’s track. If you approach a road covered in water, it is best to, “Turn Around, Don’t Drown!”
Storm surge of 1 to 3 feet could be a common occurrence along the Gulf Coast. A storm surge of 2 to 4 feet will be possible from the Mouth of the Mississippi River to Morgan City, La.
Bertha will continue to hug Louisiana’s Gulf Coast and Upper Texas Gulf Coast to close out the work week. This projected track will likely lead to weakening strength or fully dissipating heading into the weekend.
It is time to prepare for the hurricane season. Create a hurricane evacuation box now, before the storm, with bottled water, extra cell phone chargers, food and clothing. Scope out multiple different evacuation routes in case your preferred route is blocked or traffic is jammed.