Tropical Storm Bertha Set to Hit Louisiana Coast Wednesday

The U.S. Gulf Coast is preparing for the impact of Tropical Storm Bertha, which strengthened Tuesday as it moved through the northeastern Gulf of Mexico with maximum sustained winds of 60 miles per hour.

Forecasters expect Bertha to make landfall near Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, on Wednesday before gradually weakening. A Tropical Storm Warning covers the coast from the Bay/Gulf County line in Florida to the Terrebonne/Lafourche Parish line in Louisiana.

A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for New Orleans, Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas, and the stretch from the Terrebonne/Lafourche line to the Vermilion/Cameron Parish line.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center warns the storm could bring 2 to 6 inches of rainfall, flash flooding, wind gusts above 39 miles per hour, and a storm surge of up to four feet in vulnerable coastal communities.

Bertha is the second named storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season, following Tropical Storm Arthur in June.