NEW ORLEANS — Communities along the U.S. Gulf Coast distributed sandbags and closed beaches on Wednesday as Tropical Storm Bertha moved westward toward Louisiana, threatening coastal areas with strong winds, heavy rain and flooding.
Bertha, the second named storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season, was forecast to make landfall Wednesday night in a sparsely populated coastal area southeast of New Orleans, according to the National Weather Service. Early Wednesday, the storm was centered about 145 miles (235 km) west-southwest of Panama City, Florida, and about 75 miles (120 km) east of the mouth of the Mississippi River, the Associated Press reported.
Local governments in Louisiana and other Gulf Coast communities made sandbags available to residents in flood-prone areas. In New Orleans, residents filled sandbags in the Algiers neighborhood, while authorities elsewhere prepared for possible flooding and high winds.
A tropical storm warning covered areas from the Florida Panhandle to coastal Louisiana, including metropolitan New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain. Forecasters warned that storm surge could raise water levels by as much as 4 feet (1.2 meters) in parts of the Louisiana coast, with smaller surges possible along portions of Florida and Alabama.
Michael Buchanan, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Louisiana, said wind was expected to be the main threat from the storm's landfall, according to the AP.
Bertha was also expected to bring 2 to 4 inches of rain across parts of the northern Gulf Coast, with locally higher amounts possible, raising the risk of flash flooding, particularly in urban areas. Dangerous surf and rip currents were also expected along portions of the coast.
As of Tuesday, Bertha had maximum sustained winds of about 60 mph (95 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center. Forecasts called for the system to gradually weaken after moving inland.
Authorities in affected coastal communities urged residents to monitor official weather information and take precautions against flooding. No widespread evacuations or emergency shelters had been announced as of Tuesday, according to the AP.
The storm was expected to continue moving westward along the northern Gulf Coast before reaching Louisiana later Wednesday, with tropical storm conditions continuing across parts of the region.
