Tropical Storm Bertha began weakening and was expected to continue doing so as it moved slowly west along or near the Gulf Coast.
The strongest sustained wind near the center of Bertha, which is well out to sea, was down to 50 mph on Wednesday.
An ABC News graphic shows the forecast on Wednesday, July 22, 2026.
ABC News
Bertha strengthened into a tropical storm on Monday night, according to the National Hurricane Center, prompting a tropical storm watch on Monday for parts of the Gulf Coast.
A tropical storm is defined as a tropical cyclone with maximum sustained winds of 39 mph to 73 mph.
Panama City Beach, Florida, recorded a 40 mph wind gust overnight into Wednesday. Tropical storm winds of more than 40 mph are possible in parts of southern Louisiana on Wednesday night.
A tropical storm warning was in place on Wednesday from Mobile, Alabama, to New Orleans.
This handout satellite image from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Tropical Storm Bertha in the Gulf of Mexico at 15:21 GMT on July 21, 2026.
Handout/NOAA/AFP via Getty Images
About 1 to 4 inches of rain were possible along the Louisiana coast, with the heaviest rain expected south of New Orleans.
Storm surge generally between 1 and 3 feet was possible in the northern Gulf.
Pensacola Bay, Florida, reported around 2 feet of storm surge inundation on Wednesday morning, leading to minor flooding issues in typically flood-prone areas.
Similar minor coastal flooding was expected to be possible in southern Alabama and Mobile Bay on Wednesday morning. That flooding may occur again during high tide on Thursday morning.
An ABC News graphic shows the forecast on Wednesday, July 22, 2026.
ABC News
As Bertha or its remnants reaches west Texas by Thursday evening and Friday, very little was forecast to be left aside from light rain and breezy conditions.
The storm was expected to carry a high risk of deadly rip currents along the Gulf Coast from southwest Florida to Louisiana. Surf of 8 to 11 feet was possible from the western Florida panhandle through southern Alabama.