Tropical Storm Bertha continues to churn slowly across the Gulf.
As of 8 p.m. Wednesday, the center of Tropical Storm Bertha was about 70 miles southwest of New Orleans. The system officially made landfall in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana early Wednesday afternoon.
Maximum sustained winds have decreased to 45 mph with higher gusts, and the minimum central pressure based on surface observations is 1002 mb.
The system is creeping west-northwest at 7 mph.
Bertha will move near or along the northern Gulf Coast during the next several days.
Bertha will gradually weaken through the end of this week due to land interaction in the Gulf and wind shear.
A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for
- Alabama/Florida border to Morgan City, Louisiana
- Metropolitan New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain
A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for
- West of Morgan City, Louisiana, to Sargent, Texas
- Lake Maurepas
Aside from isolated showers and storms due to the wind flow around the system pushing tropical moisture over us, additional impacts are not expected for our area.
This is due to the system’s westerly movement, which will keep the highest rainfall totals across the northern Gulf Coast.