Tropical Storm Bertha makes landfall in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, as the first storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season.

Tropical Storm Bertha made landfall in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, at 2 p.m. CT on July 22, marking the first storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season. The storm, which moved along the Gulf Coast after closing beaches from the Florida Panhandle to Mississippi, brought sustained winds of approximately 45 mph and a potential storm surge of up to 3 feet. Forecasters expect the storm to lose strength as it heads toward Texas. While the storm is unlikely to intensify into a hurricane, the National Hurricane Center and Colorado State University predict a below-average number of named storms this season. This trend is largely attributed to a powerful El Niño, which creates vertical wind shear that can disrupt developing storm seedlings. However, experts note that unusually warm Atlantic waters—fueled by planet-warming pollution—still increase the likelihood of powerful category 4 and 5 storms. Residents in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Florida have been provided with sandbags as the region continues to recover from previous rainfall.

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