Live updates: Tropical Storm Bertha makes landfall in Louisiana, flooding hits Virginia & Carolinas

Key Points:

• Tropical Storm Bertha made landfall in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, marking the first named storm to hit Louisiana since 2024 and only the 10th July landfall since 1850, with maximum sustained winds around 45-50 mph.
• Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry confirmed extensive preparations including distribution of 30,000 sandbags and operational drainage pumps, urging residents to stay vigilant and prepared despite the storm's weakening.
• Bertha's structure remains highly asymmetrical due to strong northeasterly wind shear and dry air intrusion, displacing heavy rain and winds south and west of the center, limiting intensification but spreading impacts unevenly across the Gulf Coast.
• Forecast models indicate a possible brief re-intensification if Bertha’s center reforms offshore before moving toward the upper Texas coast, prompting Tropical Storm Watches for parts of Texas and warnings for Louisiana and Mississippi.
• Concurrently, severe weather has caused widespread flash flooding and infrastructure damage in West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee, with emergency crews conducting rescues and power outages affecting over 25,000 customers.