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Tropical Storm Bertha moves toward Florida Panhandle and Alabama
AP News • • nation
Key Points:
- Tropical Storm Bertha strengthened in the Gulf of Mexico and is expected to weaken as it approaches the U.S. Gulf Coast, potentially causing coastal flooding and heavy rain from the Florida Panhandle to Louisiana.
- Tropical storm warnings are in effect for northern Gulf Coast areas, including New Orleans, with forecasts predicting rain, flooding, and storm surges up to 4 feet along parts of Louisiana, Florida, and Alabama.
- Authorities in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Florida have opened sandbag distribution sites, and beaches have been closed due to dangerous rip tides and high surf.
- Bertha is the second named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season and may exacerbate flooding in Mississippi areas still recovering from Tropical Storm Arthur's impact in June.
- In the eastern Pacific, Hurricane Fausto is strengthening but poses no threat to land, though it may cause hazardous surf and rip tides along Mexico’s Baja California coast.
