Children play near breaking waves on West End Pier on Lake Pontchartrain as Tropical Storm Bertha approaches the Louisiana Coast Wednesday, July 22, 2026, in New Orleans.
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Tropical Storm Bertha has made landfall on the southern tip of Louisiana. The storm moving slowly along the Gulf Coast on Wednesday is packing strong winds that extend as much as 100 miles from its center. Damaging wind and storm surge are the main threats for the Deep South states. The National Hurricane Center says a tropical storm warning includes New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain. Storm surge up to 3 feet is possible, as well as heavy rain. Bertha is expected to weaken as moves toward Texas. The storm earlier forced beach closures in the Florida Panhandle and along the tips of Alabama and Mississippi.
Tropical Storm Bertha has made a second landfall near the Texas-Louisiana state line, ending its slow crawl across the U.S. Gulf Coast. The National Hurricane Center said Bertha should weaken rapidly over land after its center come onshore Thursday about 75 miles northeast of Galveston, Texas. Cloudy skies associated with the storm caused SpaceX to cancel a rocket launch Thursday in south Texas. Forecasters said some storm surge along the immediate coast and isolated flash flooding were possible as heavy rains moved onshore. No deaths or significant damage have been reported since Bertha formed Monday in the Gulf of Mexico. The storm made landfall for the first time Wednesday as it grazed the Louisiana coast.
