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 Bay County and Gulf County Line in Florida to Morgan City, La., including the New Orleans metropolitan area. 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 Lake Maurepas and west of Morgan City, La., to Cameron, La. A watch means that tropical storm-force conditions are possible in the watch area in the next 24 to 48 hours.
As of 1 a.m. CDT/2 a.m. EDT, Tropical Storm Bertha was located near 29.3N and 87.9W, or about 145 miles west-southwest of Panama City, Fla., and 75 miles east-northeast of the Mississippi River's mouth. Bertha has top sustained winds of 50 mph and is moving westward at 6 mph. 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 today before possibly making landfall in Louisiana tonight 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 2 inches. A few spots could be drenched by 2 to 4 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 the Mississippi-Alabama border.
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.