Tropical Storm Bertha Brings Surf and Rain to Gulf Coast

Tropical Storm Bertha reached the Gulf Coast once more on Thursday, bringing heavy surf and some flooding to southern Louisiana and Texas before weakening to a tropical depression. The National Hurricane Center noted that tropical storm-force wind gusts could still affect the upper Texas coast Thursday evening. High water levels due to storm surge persisted in the area.

The hurricane center reported that later in the evening, Bertha dissipated, though its remnants were anticipated to bring 1 to 3 inches of rain, with isolated areas receiving up to 4 inches. This could result in flash flooding along coastal and south Texas regions. Bertha’s second landfall occurred approximately 75 miles northeast of Galveston, Texas, on Thursday afternoon, with its maximum sustained winds declining to 38 mph or less.

Earlier on Wednesday, Bertha grazed southern Louisiana while moving sluggishly westward. Clouds linked to Bertha caused SpaceX to postpone its Starship launch from Texas’s southern tip scheduled for Thursday evening. The launch was rescheduled for Friday under clearer weather conditions.

Since Bertha formed on Monday south of Florida’s Panhandle in the Gulf of Mexico, there have been no reports of deaths or significant damage. The storm’s initial landfall was south of New Orleans, Louisiana, with most of the heavy rainfall remaining over Gulf waters.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released satellite imagery of Bertha on Wednesday. By Thursday afternoon, the rainfall south of Bertha’s center reached Texas’s southeastern coast. Tropical storm-force winds extended up to 140 miles from Bertha’s center. The tropical storm warning extending from Sargent, Texas, to the Louisiana line was lifted by Thursday evening.

Galveston Adapts to Storm Conditions

In Galveston, a city on an island southeast of Houston with 53,000 residents, officials anticipated a ‘windy day’ and advised securing outdoor items. Although significant impacts were not expected, some gusty storms could pass through during the day, as noted by Galveston’s Office of Emergency Management on Facebook. The Galveston Historic Seaport canceled its sightseeing boat tours on Thursday afternoon as a precaution but otherwise maintained normal operations.

Jesi Hahn, an employee at the Seaport, confirmed, “We’ll definitely be open. We usually close for big hurricanes.” Meanwhile, Justin Timber of Harbor House Hotel and Marina noted that reservations were seemingly unaffected, saying, “Restaurants are clicking. Everything’s great.”

Bertha’s Effects in Florida

Minimal power outages occurred across the Gulf Coast, according to poweroutage.us. Despite this, Bertha’s passage caused some damage. In Pensacola, Florida, a storm-damaged beach boardwalk area was closed, with Mayor D.C. Reeves sharing an image of the boardwalk’s damaged structure on Facebook. Earlier gales during the week knocked a Waffle House sign onto a car in Panama City Beach, Florida. Warnings about heavy surf and rip tides prompted advisories for beachgoers to avoid swimming.

Bertha was the second tropical storm in the Atlantic hurricane season, following Tropical Storm Arthur in June, which brought heavy rain to the southeastern U.S. Meanwhile, in the eastern Pacific Ocean, Hurricane Fausto was located over 1,000 miles west-southwest of Baja California, boasting maximum sustained winds of 80 mph. The hurricane center cautioned that swells from Fausto could lead to life-threatening surf and rip tides along parts of southern California’s coast.