Tropical Storm Bertha Forms in Gulf of Mexico: Second Named Storm of 2026 Atlantic Hurricane Season | Today’s news
National Hurricane Center meteorologists said on Monday (local time) that Tropical Storm Bertha had formed over the Gulf of Mexico south of the Florida panhandle in the evening. The storm is moving erratically toward populated coastal communities, raising fears of heavy rainfall, increased thunderstorms and strong wind gusts.
The center of the tropical storm was located about 8 p.m., about 110 miles (180 kilometers) south of Panama City, Florida, in the northern Gulf, according to the Miami-based agency. The storm was packing sustained winds of around 40 mph (65 km/h) and was expected to intensify as it neared land, the Associated Press reported.
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On Monday, the slow-moving system, which became the second named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, lingered over the Gulf for several hours. Forecasters expect it to remain near or along the northern Gulf Coast early this week, bringing heavy rainfall to coastal areas of northern Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana before tracking west toward Texas.
Last month, Tropical Storm Arthur brought heavy rainfall to parts of the southeastern United States.
Tropical storm watch in place
Meanwhile, a tropical storm watch has been issued for a wide stretch of the Gulf Coast, stretching from the Ochlockonee River in Florida in the west to the Jefferson-Plaquemines Parish line in southeast Louisiana. Separately, a storm surge watch is also in place from the mouth of the Mississippi River to the Alabama-Florida border.
The National Hurricane Center warned that storm surges of up to 4 feet (1.2 meters), which could pose a serious threat to life, could hit parts of the Louisiana and Mississippi coasts. It also said Bertha may produce one or two isolated tornadoes over Florida’s Big Bend area later this week.
Meteorologists also warned that up to eight centimeters of rain could fall in some places. Showers are expected to continue along the Gulf Coast and adjacent inland areas from western Florida to the Texas coast throughout the week, with parts of Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana at risk of flash flooding.
According to a CBS News report, a forecast map of the system, formerly known as Tropical Depression Two, shows it tracking west along the Gulf Coast from the Florida Panhandle toward the New Orleans area before continuing into East Texas later this week.
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The weather service noted Monday, “Slow motion to the northwest is expected tonight followed by a turn toward the west-northwest or west,” adding, “The forecast track will have the depression moving near or along the northern Gulf Coast over the next several days.”
Tropical Storm Fausto strengthens
In the eastern Pacific Ocean, Tropical Storm Fausto strengthened to hurricane status on Monday (local time) while remaining far off the coast of western Mexico. It saw sustained winds of 70 mph (110 km/h) and was centered about 745 miles (1,205 kilometers) southwest of the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula. The National Hurricane Center said the storm was moving northwest at 17 mph and posed no threat to land.
On July 19, a tropical storm watch was posted in Florida as another Atlantic event formed offshore.
