Tropical Storm Bertha formed Monday evening, July 20th, 2026, in the Gulf of Mexico approximately 110 miles south of Panama City, Florida. The storm is drifting erratically toward populated coastal areas along the northern Gulf Coast, bringing threats of heavy rain, storm surge, and damaging wind gusts. Maximum sustained winds were reported around 40 mph, according to an advisory from the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC).
Bertha is moving slowly and is expected to remain near or along the northern Gulf Coast early this week. It is forecasted to bring heavy rainfall to northern Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana as it moves westward toward Texas. Forecasters anticipate some additional strengthening in the coming hours.
The NHC issued a storm surge watch indicating a risk of life-threatening coastal flooding from rising water moving inland within the next 48 hours. Water levels could rise by 2 to 4 feet from the mouth of the Mississippi River to the Alabama-Florida border, with 1 to 3 feet of surge possible across parts of coastal Louisiana and Florida, including Lake Pontchartrain.
Meanwhile, Hurricane Fausto gained hurricane status Monday night, July 20th, 2026, in the eastern Pacific Ocean. It was located about 745 miles southwest of the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula and posed no threat to land. The NHC reported Fausto had top sustained winds of 75 mph and was moving west-northwest at 9 mph.
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