Beaches closed and sandbags filled as Tropical Storm Bertha approaches
the Gulf Coast
[July 22, 2026]
By JOHN SEEWER
Communities on the U.S. Gulf Coast distributed sandbags and closed
beaches as Tropical Storm Bertha threatened to bring flooding and strong
winds Wednesday from the Florida Panhandle to Louisiana.
Bertha was forecast to make landfall Wednesday night in the coastal and
lightly populated part of Louisiana southeast of New Orleans, with wind
as the biggest threat, according to Michael Buchanan, a National Weather
Service meteorologist in Louisiana.
Early Wednesday, the storm was centered about 145 miles (235 kilometers)
west-southwest of Panama City, Florida, and 75 miles (120 kilometers)
east of the mouth of the Mississippi River. It was moving west at 6 mph
(9 kph) with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (85 kph), the Miami-based
National Hurricane Center said.
A tropical storm warning was in effect from the line between Bay and
Gulf counties in Florida west to Morgan City, Louisiana, as well as for
metropolitan New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain, the hurricane center
said.
Storm surges up to 4 feet (1.2 meters) were possible in Louisiana from
the Mississippi River mouth to the Alabama-Mississippi state line, with
smaller surges in parts of Florida and Alabama, forecasters said.
Rain between 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 centimeters) could fall from western
Florida to the southern Louisiana coastline, with higher amounts in
scattered areas that could cause flash flooding in urban areas.
Bertha was expected to weaken as it pushes into Texas, forecasters said.
Sandbag distribution sites set up
Authorities in Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida opened sites to
provide sandbags to residents while red flag warnings were posted along
some beaches advising swimmers about the dangers of rip tides. Up and
down the coast, double red flags signaled that Gulf waters were closed
for swimming.
Beaches near Pensacola, Florida, were mostly deserted except for
tourists taking photos of the pounding surf.
“For locals, this is just another storm,” said Candice Henderson,
manager of the Crab Trap, a beachside restaurant that was packed Tuesday
on Pensacola’s Perdido Key. “When you’re on vacation and it's raining,
you either shop or you go out to eat.”
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Christian Mosley-Richardson, left, helps Johnisha West fill sandbags
ahead of Tropical Storm Bertha at Morris FX Jeff Sr. Park in
Algiers, New Orleans, Monday, July 20, 2026. (David Grunfeld/The
Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)
Bertha is the second tropical storm of Atlantic season
Bertha is the second tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season.
Tropical Storm Arthur in June brought heavy rainfall to the southeastern
U.S.
Bertha could dump heavy rain on coastal areas of Mississippi that are
still recovering from flooding brought by Arthur that destroyed and
damaged homes.
“Because of that, people are definitely paying attention, or at least
you would hope so,” said Jeff Clark, a spokesperson for Mississippi's
Harrison County, where six sites were open for sandbag distribution.
There had not been a need by Tuesday to open shelters or order
evacuations, Clark said.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration expects a
below-average Atlantic hurricane season this year, although that doesn’t
eliminate the chances of a catastrophic storm.
Hurricane Fausto in the Pacific is far from land
In the eastern Pacific Ocean, Hurricane Fausto churned far from land
Tuesday. The hurricane was about 805 miles (1,295 kilometers)
west-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California moving
west-northwest at 9 mph (15 kph) with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph
(130 kph).
It was forecast to gradually strengthen and the hurricane center warned
that ocean swells generated by Fausto could cause life-threatening surf
and rip tide conditions on the Baja California coast.
___
Associated Press journalists Kimberly Chandler in Montgomery, Alabama,
Stephen Smith in New Orleans and Haya Panjwani in Washington contributed
to this report.
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