Tropical Storm Bertha made landfall near the Biloxi Wildlife Management Area in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, bringing sustained winds of 45 mph before moving across the southern part of the state, according to updates from the National Hurricane Center.
Storm Track and Landfall Details
Bertha moved across southern Louisiana on Wednesday, July 22, maintaining its strength and prompting forecasters to extend tropical storm warnings westward to Sargent, Texas, according to senior hurricane specialist Richard Pasch at the National Hurricane Center. By late Wednesday, the storm’s center was positioned roughly 20 miles from the Gulf and about 75 miles southwest of New Orleans. The system picked up speed as it approached the Gulf, traveling west at 12 mph. Bertha made a second landfall on Thursday afternoon, July 23, about 75 miles northeast of Galveston, Texas, before weakening to a tropical depression and eventually dissipating late Thursday evening, according to the National Hurricane Center and reporting by the Associated Press.
Regional Impacts and Warnings
The National Hurricane Center reported maximum sustained winds near 45 mph during the storm’s peak, with tropical storm-force winds extending outward up to 160 miles. An oil platform south of the Louisiana coast recently recorded sustained winds of 43 mph at an elevation of 82 feet. Forecasters predicted rainfall totals of 2 to 4 inches, with isolated higher totals of 6 inches through Friday along the Texas Gulf Coast and South Texas, creating risks of flash flooding in urban areas. A storm surge of 1 to 3 feet was expected to elevate water levels at high tide from Mississippi to Port Bolivar, Texas, as well as in Lake Pontchartrain, alongside life-threatening surf and rip current conditions along the northern Gulf Coast.
Local Responses and Associated Disruptions
Ahead of the storm’s arrival in Texas, local officials in Galveston urged residents to secure outdoor objects. The Galveston Historic Seaport canceled sightseeing boat tours Thursday afternoon as a precaution, while local businesses and hotels like the Harbor House Hotel and Marina maintained normal operations. In Florida, earlier gales knocked over a Waffle House sign onto a car in Panama City Beach, and city officials in Pensacola closed an area around a storm-damaged beach boardwalk after strong surf ripped away part of its support structure, according to Mayor D.C. Reeves. Additionally, thick clouds associated with Bertha prompted SpaceX to postpone a Thursday evening Starship launch from South Texas to Friday.
Worth a look