New Orleans distributes sandbags as storm could make landfall by Wednesday
Tropical Storm Bertha, the second named storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season, formed Monday in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico about 105 miles south of Panama City, Florida, the National Hurricane Center said. The storm carried maximum sustained winds of 40 mph and was moving northwest at about 3 mph, according to the Miami-based center.
“Bertha will move near or along the northern Gulf coast during the next several days,” the NHC said in a bulletin Monday evening. Forecasters warned that the storm could strengthen before potentially making landfall near New Orleans, Louisiana, by Wednesday.
A tropical storm watch is in effect from Ochlockonee River, Florida, westward to the Jefferson/Plaquemines Parish border in Louisiana, according to the NHC. Tropical storm-force winds extend 70 miles outward from the storm’s center.
The NHC warned of a “life-threatening storm surge” along the coast, with surges of 1 to 4 feet forecast along parts of the Louisiana and Mississippi coastlines. Flash flooding could occur in urban areas. Some areas could receive up to 8 inches of rain by Friday, and forecasters said isolated tornadoes could spawn in Florida.
In New Orleans, officials began distributing sandbags to residents to stave off floodwaters and asked residents to ensure storm drains were clear. The storm’s arrival comes amid sweltering summer heat in the US south.
Bertha is forecast to weaken to a tropical depression on Thursday and may dissipate by the end of the week as it nears the Texas coast. It is the second named storm of the Atlantic season, following Tropical Storm Arthur, which brought flooding to parts of the Gulf Coast last month.