Tropical Storm Bertha
Tropical Storm Bertha is currently located near the Texas-Louisiana border, bringing heavy rains across parts of coastal Texas. As of 1:00 PM CDT, the storm's center is positioned at latitude 29.9 North and longitude 93.8 West, moving west at 10 mph. Maximum sustained winds are at 45 mph, with a minimum central pressure of 1004 mb. Bertha is expected to move across eastern Texas and gradually weaken, dissipating within a day.
A Tropical Storm Warning remains in effect from Morgan City, Louisiana, to Sargent, Texas. Tropical storm conditions will impact Louisiana and Texas coasts into the evening. The storm could bring a storm surge of 1-2 feet along areas from Port Bolivar, TX, to Port Fourchon, LA. Rainfall amounts of 2 to 4 inches, with isolated totals up to 6 inches, could cause flash flooding, particularly in urban areas. Dangerous surf and rip current conditions are expected along the northern Gulf Coast.
Tropical Storm Bertha is intensifying and making its presence felt along the southern coast of the United States. With wind speeds surpassing 60 miles per hour, the storm is causing significant concern for communities in its path. As Bertha moves across the Northern Gulf Coast, areas are experiencing heavy rainfall, strong winds, and the threat of flooding. Authorities have issued warnings and are urging residents to stay alert as conditions are expected to worsen over the coming days.
The progression of Tropical Storm Bertha is being closely monitored, especially as it approaches key locations such as Florida and Houston. Meteorologists are closely evaluating whether Bertha could be indicative of a trend for this hurricane season, which has seen an unusual number of early tropical activity. With the storm expected to make significant landfall impacts, residents are advised to prepare for disruptions and adhere to safety advisories. Discussions around Bertha are becoming prevalent, fueling concerns about the potential severity of this hurricane season.
July 23, 2026, at 1:00 PM EDT
Tropical Storm Bertha, centered at 29.6N 93.2W, is moving west near Lake Charles, Louisiana, with sustained winds of 40 kt and gusts up to 50 kt. The storm is expected to bring 2 to 4 inches of rainfall, potentially causing flash flooding, especially in urban areas along the Texas Gulf Coast and South Texas. Bertha's swells are expected to create life-threatening surf and rip current conditions. The storm is on track to move near or along the Louisiana and upper Texas coasts in the coming hours and then move inland over Texas by evening.
In the Gulf of America, outside of Bertha's impact, moderate or weaker winds and slight to moderate seas will prevail as high pressure establishes over the Northeast Gulf and shifts to the central Gulf. High pressure will also result in a light to gentle wind flow across the basin, with moderate to fresh winds near the Yucatan Peninsula and Texas coast through the weekend.
In the Caribbean Sea, fresh to strong winds continue in the south-central region, with seas of 5 to 7 ft. Moderate to fresh easterly winds are observed near Cuba and the Windward Passage, with trades being moderate or weaker elsewhere. The Atlantic ridge and Colombian low will continue supporting fresh to strong winds in the south-central Caribbean, with moderate seas continuing in most other areas.
In the Atlantic Ocean, a surface trough is causing scattered showers and thunderstorms near the Bahamas and another trough near 28N61W. Fresh trades are blowing south of 23N and east of 75W. A low-pressure center near 32N36W is causing showers near its trough. High pressure dominates, with fresh to strong northerly winds between the Canary Islands and up to 29N. Moderate to fresh trades with seas of 5 to 7 ft prevail across the rest of the waters.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has forecasted an above-normal Atlantic hurricane season for 2025.
Named Storms: 8 to 14
Hurricanes: 3 to 6
Major Hurricanes (Category 3 or higher): 1 to 3
Accumulate Cyclone Energy (ACE): 95% to 180% of the median
Primary Influencing Factor: Developing El Niño conditions expected to suppress Atlantic storm activity
This forecast indicates:
Despite the lower forecast, NOAA emphasizes that it only takes one hurricane making landfall to create a major disaster, and residents in hurricane-prone areas should still prepare as usual for the season.
Hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30Key: Active Past Future
*Press/click the storm name to view additional detailsDespite fewer total storms than forecasted, the 2025 season produced several extremely intense hurricanes, including three Category 5 systems, making it one of the more powerful Atlantic seasons in recent history.
2020 - 30 named storms, 14 hurricanes
Hurricane Katrina (2005) - $125 billion
Harvey (2017) - $125 billion
Hurricane Patricia (2015) - 215 mph (345 km/h)
Hurricane Allen (1980) - 190 mph (305 km/h)
The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale is a 1 to 5 rating system that classifies hurricanes based on their sustained wind speeds and the potential damage they can cause. It helps communicate the intensity of hurricanes and the likely impacts on structures and environments. The scale does not account for factors like storm surge or rainfall, focusing only on wind speeds.
Watching the Tropics was originally built as a personal storm tracker with only the most important charts for the Atlantic hurricane basin. Numerous sites are available for tracking hurricanes, but Watching the Tropics minimizes extra "noise" and shows only what you need.
Designed in Florida by
"Watching the tropics" refers to monitoring tropical weather systems, such as tropical depressions, tropical storms, and hurricanes, in regions close to the equator. Meteorologists and weather enthusiasts often use this phrase during hurricane season to indicate that they're keeping an eye on developing weather systems that could potentially strengthen and impact areas like the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and Atlantic Ocean.
Websites, news outlets, or weather services also use "Tropics Watch" to keep the public informed about the latest developments in the tropics, especially during peak hurricane season.
An "invest" refers to an area of disturbed weather that meteorologists are investigating for potential tropical development. The term "invest" is short for "investigation area."
When an area is designated as an invest, it is given a number (between 90 and 99) followed by the letter "L" for systems in the North Atlantic or "E" for systems in the Eastern Pacific. For example, "Invest 91L" would refer to the 91st area of interest in the Atlantic basin for that season.
The designation of an invest allows meteorologists to focus their resources on a specific area, utilize specialized forecasting models, and issue updates as needed.
A tropical depression is a type of tropical cyclone with maximum sustained winds of less than 39 mph (34 knots or 63 km/h).
Key characteristics:
It's the first stage of development in the tropical cyclone classification used by the National Hurricane Center, followed by tropical storm and then hurricane.
