Tropical Storm Bertha is forecast to weaken this week as it moves towards the United States, bringing heavy rain, coastal flooding and the risk of tornadoes from the Florida Panhandle to Louisiana, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.
On Tuesday evening, the storm was located about 120 miles south-west of Panama City, Florida, and 105 miles south-east of Mobile, Alabama, moving west at 6mph with maximum sustained winds near 60mph. Gradual weakening is expected from Wednesday through Friday.
A tropical storm warning was in effect through Wednesday for areas along the northern Gulf coast, including New Orleans. The NHC warned of potentially life-threatening storm surges of up to 4ft in parts of Louisiana, Alabama and Florida, and said Bertha could produce isolated tornadoes over the Florida Big Bend region. Flash flooding is possible through Friday from western Florida to middle Texas, with rainfall totals of 3 to 5 inches along the Louisiana coast.
In the eastern Pacific, Hurricane Fausto churned far from Mexico's Baja California peninsula with maximum sustained winds of 75mph. No coastal watches or warnings were in effect, but the NHC noted that ocean swells could cause life-threatening surf and rip currents along the Baja California coast.
