By JOHN SEEWER
Tropical Storm Bertha strengthened in the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday but was expected to weaken as it chugs closer to the U.S., potentially bringing coastal flooding and heavy rain from the Florida Panhandle to Louisiana.
Those areas along the northern Gulf Coast were under a tropical storm warning through Wednesday and could see rain and flooding into Thursday morning, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said. New Orleans also was under a tropical storm warning.
On Tuesday, the storm was about 105 miles (170 kilometers) southwest of Panama City, Florida, and roughly the same distance southeast of Mobile, Alabama. It was moving slowly to the northwest Tuesday afternoon with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph (95 kph), the hurricane center said Tuesday. Gradual weakening was forecast through Friday.
Bertha was forecast to make landfall Wednesday night somewhere in the coastal and lightly populated part of Louisiana southeast of New Orleans, said Michael Buchanan, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Louisiana.
Wind will be biggest threat there, he said.
Authorities open sites to distribute sandbags
Authorities in Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida opened sites to provide sandbags to residents while red flag warnings were posted along some beaches advising swimmers about the dangers of rip tides.
Up and down the coast, double red flags signaled that Gulf waters were closed for swimming.
Beaches near Pensacola, Florida, were mostly deserted except for tourists venturing out to take photos of the pounding surf.
“For locals, this is just another storm,” said Candice Henderson, manager of the Crab Trap, a beachside restaurant that was packed Tuesday on Pensacola’s Perdido Key. “When you’re on vacation and its raining, you either shop or you go out to eat.”
The storm was expected to weaken as it moves along the coast, said Jamie Rhome of the hurricane center. It’s possible that the worst of the storm will stay offshore, he said Tuesday.
Bertha was expected to weaken further as it pushes into Texas, forecasters said.
Forecasts called for as much as 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 centimeters) of rain from western Florida to the southern Louisiana coastline, with higher amounts in some scattered areas.
That could cause flash flooding in some urban areas.
Authorities also advised that areas in Louisiana from the mouth of the Mississippi River to the Alabama-Mississippi state line could see storm surges of up to 4 feet (1.2 meters). Parts of Florida and Alabama could see smaller surges.
The tropical storm warning extended west to Morgan City, Louisiana.
Bertha is the second tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season
Bertha is the second tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season. Tropical Storm Arthur last month brought heavy rainfall to the southeastern U.S.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration expects this year to see a below-average Atlantic hurricane season although that doesn’t eliminate the chances of a catastrophic storm.
Bertha could dump heavy rain on coastal areas of Mississippi that are still recovering from flooding brought by Arthur that destroyed and damaged homes in June.
“Because of that, people are definitely paying attention, or at least you would hope so,” said Jeff Clark, a spokesperson for Mississippi’s Harrison County, where six sites were open for sandbag distribution.
So far, there hasn’t been a need to open any shelters or order evacuations, Clark said on Tuesday.
Hurricane Fausto churns in the Pacific
In the eastern Pacific Ocean, Hurricane Fausto churned far from Mexico’s Baja California peninsula and posed no threat to land, the hurricane center said.
Fausto gained hurricane status Monday night. It was about 780 miles (1,260 kilometers) southwest of the southern tip of Baja California, had top sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph) and was moving west-northwest at 12 mph (19 kph).
The storm was expected to strengthen Tuesday and Wednesday. No coastal watches or warnings were in effect, though ocean swells generated by the storm could cause life-threatening surf and rip tide conditions on the Baja California coast, the center said.
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Associated Press journalists Kimberly Chandler in Montgomery, Alabama, Stephen Smith in New Orleans, and Haya Panjwani in Washington contributed.
