{"id":99914,"date":"2026-07-23T03:31:20","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T07:31:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/tropical-storm-bertha-hits-louisiana-heads-toward-texas\/"},"modified":"2026-07-23T03:31:20","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T07:31:20","slug":"tropical-storm-bertha-hits-louisiana-heads-toward-texas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/tropical-storm-bertha-hits-louisiana-heads-toward-texas\/","title":{"rendered":"Tropical Storm Bertha Hits Louisiana, Heads Toward Texas"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Tropical Storm Bertha touched down along the Louisiana coast Wednesday afternoon and continued pushing westward toward Texas early Thursday, after forcing beach closures along the Gulf Coast from the Florida Panhandle through Mississippi.<\/p>

The storm came ashore in St. Bernard Parish, roughly 40 miles east of New Orleans. Forecasters expect Bertha to reach the upper Texas coast by Thursday before weakening and breaking apart over inland Texas by Friday.<\/p>

As of early Thursday, the storm was positioned about 110 miles southwest of New Orleans and approximately 120 miles southeast of Lake Charles, Louisiana. It was moving west at 12 mph with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.<\/p>

Wind and storm surge posed the greatest dangers across the Deep South. Coastal parks, piers, and some low-lying roads were shut down as a precaution. A tropical storm warning was in effect from Alabama through Louisiana, including New Orleans, where residents were also dealing with extreme heat on top of the storm’s arrival.<\/p>

Spectators gathered to watch rising water at the Lake Pontchartrain estuary, with children wading through floodwaters as the storm drew closer. Some residents continued mowing their lawns even as streets began filling with water.<\/p>

Tropical storm-force winds extended up to 160 miles from the storm’s center. A wind gust of 44 mph was recorded at New Orleans Lakefront Airport on Wednesday afternoon. In Panama City Beach, Florida, powerful winds toppled a Waffle House sign onto a parked car.<\/p>

Fortunately, the heaviest rainfall remained mostly offshore, which helped limit the flooding threat, the hurricane center noted.<\/p>

Louisiana State Climatologist Jay Grymes said the storm was not expected to cause widespread damage and that coastal communities should be able to handle the impacts. Gov. Jeff Landry described the forecast as “encouraging” but urged residents to remain prepared for possible flooding.<\/p>

Storm surge of up to 3 feet was possible in Louisiana and Alabama, with rainfall totals projected between 1 and 4 inches \u2014 though isolated spots could see higher amounts.<\/p>

Southern Louisiana faced the unusual combination of both tropical storm and extreme heat warnings for much of Wednesday. The National Weather Service called it a rare double threat, noting it was the first time in at least two decades \u2014 based on records going back to 2005 \u2014 that such conditions had occurred simultaneously in the region.<\/p>

Bertha is the second named storm of the current Atlantic hurricane season. Tropical Storm Arthur formed in June and brought heavy rainfall to the southeastern United States. Bertha could drop significant rain on parts of coastal Mississippi that are still recovering from flooding caused by Arthur, which damaged and destroyed homes in the area.<\/p>

Elsewhere across the country, a line of storms on Tuesday spawned tornado reports stretching from the Cincinnati area to New Jersey. In West Virginia, heavy rains triggered flash flooding that swamped homes, washed out bridges, and prompted water rescues, according to authorities.<\/p>

In the eastern Pacific, Hurricane Fausto was spinning far out to sea Wednesday, located hundreds of miles west-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph. Forecasters expected it to gradually gain strength, and warned that ocean swells from Fausto were already reaching the Baja California coast, posing a risk of dangerous surf and rip currents.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tropical Storm Bertha came ashore in Louisiana Wednesday and is tracking westward toward Texas, bringing storm surge, gusty winds, and heavy rain to Gulf Coast communities. The storm made landfall in St. Bernard Parish, about 40 miles east of New Orleans, and is expected to dissipate over Texas by Friday. Officials say widespread damage is unlikely, though coastal flooding remains a concern.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":99913,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[821],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-99914","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-weather"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1784791880270.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbtNqq-pZw","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":99686,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/tropical-storm-bertha-makes-landfall-in-louisiana-heads-toward-texas\/","url_meta":{"origin":99914,"position":0},"title":"Tropical Storm Bertha Makes Landfall in Louisiana, Heads Toward Texas","author":"Admin","date":"July 22, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Tropical Storm Bertha came ashore on the eastern side of St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, around 2 p.m. Wednesday. The storm is forecast to track westward toward the upper Texas coast by Thursday afternoon before eventually dissipating. Coastal flooding, flash flooding, and tropical storm conditions remain threats along the northern Gulf\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Weather"","block_context":{"text":"Weather","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/news\/weather\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1784754108223.jpg?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1784754108223.jpg?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1784754108223.jpg?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1784754108223.jpg?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1784754108223.jpg?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":99830,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/tropical-storm-bertha-threatens-gulf-coast-with-tropical-force-winds-4\/","url_meta":{"origin":99914,"position":1},"title":"Tropical Storm Bertha Threatens Gulf Coast with Tropical-Force Winds","author":"Admin","date":"July 22, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The National Hurricane Center issued Wind Speed Probability Update Number 15 for Tropical Storm Bertha early Thursday morning. As of 3 a.m. UTC on July 23, 2026, the storm was positioned near latitude 29.4 North, longitude 91.1 West, packing maximum sustained winds of around 40 knots \u2014 roughly 45 miles\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Weather"","block_context":{"text":"Weather","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/news\/weather\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1784775661760.jpg?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1784775661760.jpg?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1784775661760.jpg?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1784775661760.jpg?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1784775661760.jpg?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":99832,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/tropical-storm-bertha-to-re-enter-gulf-before-hitting-texas-coast-thursday\/","url_meta":{"origin":99914,"position":2},"title":"Tropical Storm Bertha to Re-Enter Gulf Before Hitting Texas Coast Thursday","author":"Admin","date":"July 22, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Tropical Storm Bertha made landfall in southeastern Louisiana Wednesday and is expected to briefly return to the northwestern Gulf of Mexico before crossing the upper Texas coast on Thursday. The storm's center has become less defined, with most heavy rain activity occurring south and southwest of the center over Gulf\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Weather"","block_context":{"text":"Weather","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/news\/weather\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1784775663286.jpg?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1784775663286.jpg?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1784775663286.jpg?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1784775663286.jpg?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1784775663286.jpg?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":99822,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/tropical-storm-bertha-threatens-gulf-coast-with-tropical-force-winds-3\/","url_meta":{"origin":99914,"position":3},"title":"Tropical Storm Bertha Threatens Gulf Coast With Tropical-Force Winds","author":"Admin","date":"July 22, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The National Hurricane Center issued wind speed probability data for Tropical Storm Bertha early Thursday morning, placing several Gulf Coast communities at significant risk. As of 3 a.m. UTC on July 23, 2026, Bertha was centered near latitude 29.4 North, longitude 91.1 West, packing maximum sustained winds of around 40\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Weather"","block_context":{"text":"Weather","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/news\/weather\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1784774757416.jpg?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1784774757416.jpg?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1784774757416.jpg?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1784774757416.jpg?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1784774757416.jpg?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":99213,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/tropical-storm-bertha-targets-gulf-coast-northeast-faces-severe-storm-threat\/","url_meta":{"origin":99914,"position":4},"title":"Tropical Storm Bertha Targets Gulf Coast; Northeast Faces Severe Storm Threat","author":"Admin","date":"July 21, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Tropical Storm Bertha is moving through the northeastern Gulf of Mexico, bringing dangerous conditions to the northern Gulf Coast and threatening landfall in Louisiana by late Wednesday. Meanwhile, a separate storm system is pushing severe thunderstorms, damaging winds, and possible tornadoes toward the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, including areas close to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Weather"","block_context":{"text":"Weather","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/news\/weather\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1784690212407.jpg?fit=450%2C253&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":99305,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/tropical-storm-bertha-threatens-gulf-coast-with-flooding-and-high-winds\/","url_meta":{"origin":99914,"position":5},"title":"Tropical Storm Bertha Threatens Gulf Coast with Flooding and High Winds","author":"Admin","date":"July 22, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Tropical Storm Bertha is bearing down on the Gulf Coast, prompting beach closures and sandbag distribution from Florida to Louisiana. The storm is expected to make landfall Wednesday night near southeastern Louisiana, with wind posing the greatest danger. Forecasters warn of storm surges up to four feet and several inches\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Weather"","block_context":{"text":"Weather","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/news\/weather\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1784705503081.jpg?fit=1000%2C700&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1784705503081.jpg?fit=1000%2C700&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1784705503081.jpg?fit=1000%2C700&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1784705503081.jpg?fit=1000%2C700&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99914","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=99914"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99914\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/99913"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99914"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=99914"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99914"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}