On Wednesday, communities along the U.S. Gulf Coast prepared for Tropical Storm Bertha by setting up sandbags and closing beaches. The storm was expected to bring flooding and high winds, impacting areas from the Florida Panhandle to Louisiana.
According to Michael Buchanan, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Louisiana, the primary concern was Bertha’s winds as it approached land, particularly in less populated coastal regions southeast of New Orleans.
Early that morning, the storm formed about 145 miles west-southwest of Panama City, Florida, and 125 miles east of the mouth of the Mississippi River, moving west at 6 mph with sustained winds of 50 mph, as per the Miami-based National Hurricane Center.
A tropical storm warning was issued for areas stretching from Bay and Gulf counties in Florida to Morgan City, Louisiana, which also included the New Orleans metro area and Lake Pontchartrain, forecasters noted.
They warned that Louisiana could experience storm surges of up to 4 feet from the Mississippi River’s mouth to the Alabama-Mississippi border, with lesser surges possible in parts of Florida and Alabama.
Rainfall predictions estimated 2 to 4 inches along the coastline from western Florida to southern Louisiana, with some areas potentially facing flash flooding, especially in urban zones.
As it heads toward Texas, Bertha is expected to weaken further, according to forecasts.
Setting up sandbag distribution locations
Officials in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Florida established sandbag distribution sites for residents. Red flags were posted on some beaches to warn about dangerous rip currents, and double red flags indicated that swimming in Gulf waters was prohibited.
At Pensacola, Florida, the beach felt eerily empty, save for a few tourists capturing photos of the waves crashing ashore.
“For locals, it’s just another storm,” remarked Candace Henderson, manager of Crab Trap, a beachside eatery on Perdido Key. “If it rains while we’re on vacation, I just find something else to do—maybe shop or eat out.”
Vata is the second tropical cyclone of the Atlantic season
Vata marks the second tropical cyclone of this Atlantic hurricane season, following Tropical Storm Arthur, which brought significant rainfall to the southeastern U.S. in June.
Coastal Mississippi, still recovering from flooding caused by Arthur, could see heavy rains again from Bertha.
“People are definitely keeping an eye on it, or at least we hope they are,” noted Jeff Clark, a spokesperson for Harrison County, Mississippi, where six sandbag distribution sites were opened.
As of Tuesday, there was no need to initiate evacuations or open shelters, Clark added.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration anticipates a below-average Atlantic hurricane season this year, but that doesn’t rule out the possibility of serious storms.
Hurricane Faust in the Pacific is far from land
Meanwhile, Hurricane Faust churned far out in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Tuesday, situated about 1,305 miles west-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California. It was moving west-northwest at 9 mph with max sustained winds of 80 mph.
It is projected to strengthen gradually, with the hurricane center warning that the swells caused by Faust could create hazardous surf and riptide conditions along Baja California’s coast.
