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Bertha forms; watches expand
Tropical Storm Bertha formed Monday evening in the Gulf of Mexico south of the Florida Panhandle and was located about 110 miles (180 kilometers) south of Panama City, Florida, with maximum sustained winds around 40 mph (65 kph), the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said.
“Tropical Storm Bertha forms off the Florida coast, prompting storm alerts New Orleans could see tropical storm conditions by Wednesday”
Forecasters warned the slow-moving storm could strengthen as it approaches populated coastal areas, bringing heavy rain, storm surge and damaging wind gusts to northern Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana as it pushes west toward Texas.
A tropical storm watch was in effect from the Ochlockonee River in Florida westward to southeastern Louisiana at the Jefferson and Plaquemines parish line, while a storm surge watch was posted from the mouth of the Mississippi River to the Alabama-Florida border on the Gulf Coast.
The hurricane center said potentially life-threatening storm surges of up to four feet (1.2 meters) could occur in portions of the Louisiana and Mississippi coastlines, and it also warned Bertha could spin off an isolated tornado or two over the Florida Big Bend region in the week.
In the eastern Pacific Ocean, Tropical Storm Fausto strengthened Monday and was nearing hurricane status far out to sea from western Mexico, with top sustained winds of 70 mph (110 kph) and no threat to land, according to the hurricane center.
Track uncertainty for Texas
Tropical Depression Two, expected to become Tropical Storm Bertha later Monday, was described as churning Monday off the coast of the Florida Panhandle near Alabama, with the forecast focused on where it ultimately goes rather than whether it strengthens.
The Houston Chronicle framed a worst-case scenario for Houston as a Louisiana track that carries the center westward near the Louisiana coast before approaching the upper Texas coast later this week, keeping Southeast Texas closer to the storm’s core longer and increasing the potential for heavy rainfall, gusty winds, rough surf and minor coastal flooding.
FOX Weather said Tropical Storm Watches expanded Monday morning along the coast from the Ochlockonee River in the Florida Panhandle to the Jefferson-Plaquemines Parish border in Louisiana, indicating those areas could experience tropical storm conditions into Tuesday.
FOX Weather also reported that the NHC warned storm surge along the immediate coast in this area could reach 1 to 3 feet and that a Storm Surge Watch was issued late Monday morning from the Alabama-Florida border to the Mouth of the Mississippi River, with a storm surge of 2-4 feet possible.
The Houston Chronicle added that forecast errors of 50 to 100 miles are common several days in advance, and that a shift of that magnitude could determine whether Houston sees rough surf and breezy weather or periods of heavy tropical rainfall and localized flooding.
Oil, power and models
As Bertha approached the Gulf, Chevron said it was closing the Petronius site and transferring its personnel ashore in anticipation of Tropical Depression No. 2, and it also said it was evacuating nonessential personnel from its Tubular Bells and Blind Faith platforms.
“CiberCuba Editorial Team Monday, July 20, 2026 - 8:16 PM The tropical storm Bertha formed this Monday in the northeast Gulf of Mexico, after NOAA hurricane hunters confirmed that the system had progressed from a depression to a tropical storm at 7:00 p”
Boursorama, citing Reuters, reported that a consulting firm estimated about 2 million barrels of oil lost in the Gulf of Mexico due to the storm, and it contrasted that with the 10,000 barrels touched by Tropical Storm Arthur last month.
CenterPoint Energy said on Monday it activated its emergency operations center and took steps to prepare for the storm, adding that if weather-related outages occur, its teams would be ready to respond and restore electricity safely and as quickly as possible, according to Nathan Brownell, vice president of CenterPoint Resilience.
The National Hurricane Center forecast cited across outlets included rainfall totals of 2 to 4 inches through Friday along the Gulf Coast and adjacent inland locations from western Florida to the Texas coast, with isolated higher totals near 8 inches, and it warned that swells and rip currents could create life-threatening surf conditions.
In a separate technical framing, Tallahassee Democrat reported that forecasters expected Saharan dust and strong wind shear to likely prevent Bertha from becoming a hurricane, while AccuWeather’s Alex DaSilva said in an email that dry air and hostile wind shear would be the biggest factors in whether the depression organizes.
