Tropical Storm Bertha threatens the Gulf Coast with strong winds

Key Points:

• Tropical Storm Bertha moved slowly along the Gulf Coast toward Louisiana, with tropical storm force winds extending about 100 miles from its center and prompting closures of beaches, parks, and low-lying roads from Florida to Mississippi.
• Storm surges up to 4 feet and rainfall between 2 to 4 inches were forecasted for the Deep South, with warnings issued from the Florida Panhandle to Louisiana, including New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain.
• Authorities in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Florida distributed sandbags and posted double-red flag warnings to close beaches to swimmers, while residents prepared for potential flooding and storm impacts.
• Bertha is the second tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, following Tropical Storm Arthur, which previously caused flooding in Mississippi; Bertha threatens to bring additional heavy rain to already affected areas.
• Meanwhile, Hurricane Fausto in the eastern Pacific remained far offshore but was expected to strengthen, with dangerous surf and rip tide conditions anticipated along the Baja California coast.