Bertha's Next Target: Texas Now in the Danger Zone

Tropical Storm Bertha is churning back over the Gulf on Thursday morning, tracking toward a second landfall on the Texas coast this afternoon. Flooding rain and storm surge remain the top concerns as the storm closes in near Galveston.

Texas Coast Braces for Bertha's Flooding Rain and Storm Surge

Bertha made its first landfall Wednesday afternoon in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, near the Biloxi Wildlife Management Area, with sustained winds of 45 mph. The storm crossed southern Louisiana overnight before its center emerged back over the Gulf early Thursday.

As of 8 a.m. EDT Thursday, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported maximum sustained winds still at 45 mph, with Bertha moving west at 13 mph. The storm is on track to make a second landfall along the upper Texas coast Thursday afternoon, likely near Galveston, before pushing inland and dissipating by Friday.

Storm surge and heavy rain, rather than wind, pose the biggest threat. Additional rainfall totals of 2 to 4 inches are targeting southern and coastal Texas, with the heaviest bands capable of triggering flash flooding. The Texas Hill Country carries extra risk given how saturated the region already is following last week's catastrophic flooding there.

Tropical Storm Warnings stretch along the coast, and Tropical Storm Watches extend toward Sargent, Texas. Storm surge of 1 to 3 feet above normally dry ground remains possible along parts of the Louisiana and Texas coastlines through Thursday.

The Overlooked Threat: Rip Currents and Rough Surf

Even far from Bertha's center, dangerous surf and life-threatening rip currents are hammering the northern Gulf Coast. Along Alabama's Dauphin Island and Orange Beach, storm surge submerged multiple vehicles and forced road closures this week, and double red flags have kept swimmers out of the water under waves running 9 to 11 feet.

Those hazards are expected to persist along the coast well after Bertha's center moves inland, since much of the storm's energy and wave action extends far from its core.

What's Next

Bertha is expected to weaken quickly once it moves inland over Texas Thursday night and Friday, but heavy rain bands could keep lingering flood risk in play through the day. Residents in low-lying and flood-prone areas of southeast Texas should stay alert to updates from local National Weather Service offices as the storm moves ashore.

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