Article first published: Wednesday, July 22, 2026, 4 a.m. ET

Article last updated: Wednesday, July 22, 2026, 10 p.m. ET

System type: Tropical storm

System name: Bertha

According to the National Hurricane Center’s 10 p.m. Wednesday advisory, Bertha is now affecting Louisiana. Tropical Storm Bertha is 75 miles southwest of New Orleans, Louisiana and 135 miles east-southeast of Lake Charles, Louisiana. The system, with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph, is moving west at 12 mph.

A tropical storm warning has been extended by forecasters for westward the upper Texas coast.

Forecasters extended a tropical storm watch and a tropical storm warning for westward along the Louisiana coast.

Changes with this advisory

A Tropical Storm Warning has been issued west of Cameron Louisiana to Sargent, Texas. The Tropical Storm Watch for Lake Maurepas is discontinued.

The Tropical Storm Warning east of the Alabama/Mississippi border is discontinued.

Warning currently in effect

Tropical Storm Warning for:

• Alabama/Mississippi border to Sargent, Texas

• Metropolitan New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain

Meaning of the warning

A Tropical Storm Warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area, in this case within 24 hours.

Hazards affecting land

Wind. Tropical storm conditions will continue spreading across portions of the northern and northwestern Gulf Coast within the warning area through Thursday.

Storm surge. The combination of storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the immediate coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline. The water could reach the following heights above ground somewhere in the indicated areas if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide…

Alabama/Mississippi border to Port Bolivar, TX…1-3 ft Lake Pontchartrain…1-3 ft

The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast. Surge-related flooding depends on the relative timing of the surge and the tidal cycle, and can vary greatly over short distances.

For a complete depiction of areas at risk of storm surge inundation, please see the National Weather Service Peak Storm Surge Graphic, available at hurricanes.gov/graphics_at2.shtml?peakSurge.

Rainfall. Bertha is expected to produce total rainfall amounts of 2 to 4 inches with isolated totals to 6 inches through Thursday night along Texas Gulf Coast and South Texas. This rainfall may produce isolated flash flooding, especially in urban areas.

For a complete forecast of rainfall associated with Bertha, please see the National Weather Service Storm Total Rainfall Graphic available at hurricanes.gov/graphics_at2.shtml?rainqpf and the Flash Flood Risk graphic at hurricanes.gov/graphics_at2.shtml?ero.

Surf. Swells generated by Bertha will continue spreading westward along the northern Gulf Coast during the next few days. These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.

A depiction of rip current risk for the United States can be found at: hurricanes.gov/graphics_at2.shtml?ripCurrents

Source: National Hurricane Center