Tropical Storm Bertha Dissipates After Two Gulf Coast Landfalls
Tropical Storm Bertha, the second named storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season, weakened and dissipated Thursday evening after making two landfalls along the U.S. Gulf Coast — first in Louisiana and then along the Texas-Louisiana border. The storm brought heavy surf, coastal flooding, and minor wind damage to the region but caused no reported fatalities or significant structural damage, according to the Associated Press.
Storm Development and Path
Bertha formed Monday, July 20, in the Gulf of Mexico south of the Florida Panhandle. The storm made its first landfall Wednesday afternoon in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, southwest of New Orleans, before crawling slowly westward along the coast. It made a second landfall Thursday afternoon about 75 miles northeast of Galveston, Texas, near the Texas-Louisiana border.
The National Hurricane Center reported that the storm’s maximum sustained winds had dropped to 35 mph (55 km/h) by the time it degenerated into a trough at 10 p.m. CDT Thursday, with a minimum central pressure of 1008 mb. The NHC’s final advisory noted that the remnants were located approximately 40 miles west-northwest of Houston, Texas, moving west at 14 mph.
Impacts Along the Coast
Bertha’s effects were felt across multiple states. In Louisiana, coastal flooding accompanied the first landfall Wednesday, while portions of Texas experienced minor flooding after the storm came ashore for a second time. The system produced 1 to 3 inches of rainfall, with isolated totals up to 4 inches over South Texas, raising concerns about flash flooding, particularly in urban areas.
Storm surge elevated water levels along the Louisiana and Texas coasts through Thursday night, and forecasters warned of life-threatening rip currents and dangerous surf conditions. According to Fox Weather, all tropical storm watches and warnings were discontinued by Thursday evening as the system dissipated.
Electrical outages across the Gulf Coast were described as minimal by poweroutage.us, and utility company SWEPCO activated a storm response plan but required only limited deployment.
Damage Reports
While Bertha was a relatively weak storm, it was not entirely without incident. In Pensacola, Florida, officials closed a section of beach after the storm damaged a boardwalk’s support structure, according to a Facebook post from Mayor D.C. Reeves. The Associated Press reported that strong gales earlier in the week knocked over a Waffle House sign onto a car in Panama City Beach, Florida.
In Galveston, Texas, however, impacts were far more subdued. The Galveston Historic Seaport canceled sightseeing boat tours Thursday afternoon as a precaution but otherwise operated normally. “We’ll definitely be open. We usually close for big hurricanes,” said Jesi Hahn, a seaport employee. Justin Timber, an employee at the nearby Harbor House Hotel and Marina, added: “It seems like a normal day. Restaurants are clicking. Everything’s great.”
SpaceX Launch Delayed
Bertha’s thick cloud cover forced SpaceX to cancel Thursday evening’s planned Starship Flight 13 from its Boca Chica, Texas, facility. The test flight — the second launch of the Starship Version 3 configuration and the planned debut of Starlink V3 satellite deployment — was rescheduled for Friday, July 24, when forecasters predicted clear skies.
Why Bertha Stayed Weak
Meteorologists described Bertha as a “disheveled” storm that struggled to organize. Dry air entrainment and wind shear disrupted the system’s structure, while two landfalls in quick succession stripped it of its oceanic heat source. The storm’s slow westward crawl over land further accelerated its weakening, resulting in a system that dissipated within roughly 36 hours of its first landfall.
The storm’s minimal impact and zero fatality rate stand in contrast to previous storms bearing the Bertha name, which has appeared in Atlantic hurricane lists since 1996. The 2020 season’s Bertha, for comparison, caused significant flooding and damage in the southeastern United States.
Looking Ahead at the 2026 Season
Bertha’s rapid dissipation serves as an early-season reminder for Gulf Coast communities to remain vigilant. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, and Bertha follows Tropical Storm Arthur, which brought heavy rainfall to the southeastern U.S. in June.
Meanwhile, in the Eastern Pacific, Hurricane Fausto churned more than 1,000 miles west-southwest of Baja California with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph. The NHC warned that swells from Fausto could cause life-threatening surf and rip currents in parts of southern California.
As the remnants of Bertha continue to produce scattered showers over South Texas, attention now turns to whether the region will see additional tropical activity in the weeks ahead.