TROPICAL STORM BERTHA APPROACHES GULF COAST WITH DAMAGING WINDS

Tropical Storm Bertha was positioned approximately 45 miles northeast of the Mississippi River mouth on Wednesday morning, moving westward at 5 mph with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph, according to the National Hurricane Centre. The storm was forecast to make landfall Wednesday night in coastal Louisiana southeast of New Orleans. A tropical storm warning remained in effect from the western Florida Panhandle to Morgan City, Louisiana, as well as the New Orleans metropolitan area and Lake Pontchartrain.

The National Hurricane Centre warned that Bertha could produce damaging winds, coastal storm surges and isolated flooding over the following days. Tropical storm force winds extended approximately 100 miles from the storm's centre. Storm surges up to 4 feet were possible in Louisiana from the Mississippi River mouth to the Alabama-Mississippi state line, whilst rainfall between 2 to 4 inches was forecast from western Florida to southern Louisiana, with higher amounts in scattered areas potentially causing flash flooding in urban zones. Robbie Berg, a warning coordination meteorologist at the hurricane centre, stated that "landfall really doesn't have a whole lot of meaning in this particular case".

Authorities in Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida opened sandbag distribution sites for residents. Red flag warnings were posted along some beaches to advise swimmers of rip tide dangers. Beaches remained closed from Florida to Mississippi. The hurricane centre forecast that Bertha would weaken as it moved into Texas. Separately, a line of storms generated tornado reports stretching from Cincinnati to New Jersey, with torrential rains causing flash floods that damaged homes and washed out bridges in West Virginia.