Bertha Makes Second Landfall Near Texas-Louisiana Border

Tropical Storm Bertha came ashore again Thursday afternoon, this time near the Texas-Louisiana border, less than 24 hours after its first landfall in southeastern Louisiana. Flooding rain and storm surge remain the top concerns as the storm pushes inland.

Bertha Comes Ashore Again With Flooding Rain Still the Main Threat

Bertha's center made landfall near the Texas-Louisiana border at 2 p.m. EDT Thursday with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). The bulk of the storm's rain stayed well south of the center as it approached the Texas coast.

The storm's main impact is heavy rain spreading along the Gulf Coast from southern Louisiana into eastern Texas. Coastal Texas is on track for 2 to 4 inches of rain, with some of that moisture reaching inland toward the Texas Hill Country, a region still recovering from last week's deadly flash flooding.

Galveston remained under a tropical storm warning through the afternoon, with gusts up to 45 mph prompting officials to urge residents to secure loose outdoor items. Reconnaissance aircraft flew another mission into the storm Thursday morning, finding Bertha's center had become elongated along the southwestern Louisiana coast.

Given the combined threats of heavy rain, flooding, wind and surge, forecasters rated Bertha's overall impact potential as low for both the U.S. and Mexico.

Bertha Washes Out Sea Turtle Nests After a Record-Setting Season

Away from the coastal flooding headlines, Bertha dealt a serious blow to an unusually strong sea turtle nesting season across the Southeast. Monitoring groups along Florida's Panhandle reported that only 4 of 22 tracked nests survived after high surf, flooding and erosion reshaped the coastline.

At Alligator Point, Florida, every monitored nest was either inundated by storm surge or washed out entirely. St. George Island also lost nests, though volunteers managed to rescue a number of hatchlings.

The setback comes during what had been a standout year for the species: Florida had logged more than 94,000 loggerhead nests as of June 30, and Hilton Head Island was closing in on its own nesting record.

What's Next

Bertha is forecast to weaken quickly now that it's moved inland, likely dissipating by Friday. Rain bands could still bring localized flash flooding risk to parts of Texas and Louisiana into Thursday night, especially anywhere moisture reaches the already-saturated Hill Country.

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