Tropical Storm Bertha is gaining steam in the Gulf of Mexico, and as AccuWeather reports, how much stronger it gets depends heavily on which path it takes toward the US coast this week. The system, upgraded from a depression Monday evening, is already spreading thunderstorms over hundreds of miles, with forecasters warning of heavy rain, flooding, and rough seas along parts of the Gulf Coast in the days ahead. Per the AP, Bertha on Tuesday morning was about 110 miles south of Panama City, Florida, and 170 miles southeast of Mobile, Alabama, the National Hurricane Center said. The storm was moving northwest at 5mph with maximum winds of 50mph.
Meteorologists are tracking two main scenarios. If Bertha "hugs" the northern Gulf Coast, winds would likely stay on the lower side, but a wide zone from roughly the I-10 corridor could see 1 to 4 inches of rain, with pockets getting up to 8 inches and an extreme local maximum of 15 inches, plus gusts up to 75mph. A farther-south track over open Gulf waters, however, could let Bertha intensify into a strong tropical storm or possibly a hurricane, shifting the greatest threat toward Texas and into central Texas, including the already saturated Hill Country. In either case, forecasters say boaters and beachgoers should expect building surf, stronger rip currents, rough seas, and the risk of tornadoes and waterspouts as the storm approaches.
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