Tropical Storm Bertha makes landfall in Louisiana with 45 mph winds

Tropical Storm Bertha has made landfall in southeastern Louisiana with maximum sustained winds of 45 miles per hour, according to meteorologists.

The center of Bertha moved ashore near the Biloxi Wildlife Management Area in St. Bernard Parish at about 2 p.m. CDT on Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). The location is about 40 miles east of New Orleans.

Bertha is moving west-northwest at 7 mph. Tropical storm conditions are expected to continue across parts of the northern Gulf Coast through Wednesday night before potentially reaching southwestern Louisiana and the upper Texas coast on Thursday.

The storm’s center is forecast to remain near the Louisiana coast through Thursday before moving toward the upper Texas coast by Thursday evening or night. Bertha could still be a minimal tropical storm when it reaches Texas, although forecasters said it may weaken to a tropical depression or remnant low before then.

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect from the Alabama-Florida border to Morgan City, Louisiana, including metropolitan New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain. A Tropical Storm Watch extends from west of Morgan City to Sargent, Texas, and includes Lake Maurepas.

A Coastal Flood Warning is also in effect along the Mississippi and Louisiana coasts. Storm surge could raise water levels by 1 to 3 feet from the Alabama-Florida border to Port Bolivar, Texas, and around Lake Pontchartrain.

Bertha is expected to produce 1 to 4 inches of rain, with isolated totals of up to 6 inches, from northwest Florida to southern Texas through Friday. The NHC said the rainfall could cause isolated flash flooding, particularly in urban areas.