WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — After making landfall in the St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, Wednesday afternoon, Tropical Storm Bertha continues to maintain its tropical storm status with 45 MPH winds. Churning just offshore of the Louisiana coastline, Bertha has its sight set on Texas later on today. The movement has picked up since yesterday as it is now moving west at 13 mph.
Tropical Storm Bertha is forecast to move into the upper Texas coast this afternoon, and then move farther inland into Texas tonight where it will dissipate.
Bertha is expected to produce rainfall amounts of 2 to 4 inches with isolated higher totals along Texas Gulf Coast and South Texas. This rainfall may produce isolated flash flooding, especially in urban areas that are prone to flooding.
TRACKING THE TROPICS: Hurricane Center | Hurricane Guide
The combination of storm surge and high tide will cause normally dry areas near the immediate coast to be flooded by rising waters from the shoreline. Storm surge of 1 to 3 feet is possible along portions of the northern Gulf Coast, including Lake Pontchartrain, while dangerous surf and life-threatening rip currents are expected along Gulf Coast beaches over the next several days.
While South Florida remains well outside Bertha's direct impacts, swells generated by the storm are expected to increase the risk of dangerous surf and rip currents along Florida's Gulf Coast.
For the latest tropical weather updates and local impacts to South Florida, stay with WPTV.com and the WPTV First Alert Weather team.
**Portions of this story were assisted by artificial intelligence tools and reviewed by a WPTV journalist to ensure accuracy, clarity, and adherence to editorial standards.
