Tropical Storm Bertha made its second landfall on the U.S. coast Thursday, continuing its destructive path along the Gulf. Forecasters warned that millions of residents could feel the storm's impact within hours.
Bertha initially made landfall on Wednesday afternoon in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana. The storm's core has since moved back into the Gulf of Mexico, gathering strength as it approaches the Texas coast. AccuWeather meteorologists project Bertha will strike the Texas coastline near major cities like Houston, Galveston, and Beaumont by 3 p.m. ET Thursday.
Currently, Bertha has sustained winds of 45 mph, with projections indicating potentially dangerous wind gusts of up to 60 mph. Heavy downpours and flash flooding are expected in coastal communities.
The storm has already wreaked havoc along the coast. Harrowing footage shows coastal waters flooding through fences and hotel yards around New Orleans. In Florida, several communities have reported the destruction of nearly a dozen sea turtle nests due to storm surge inundation in areas like Destin and Panacea.
The Alligator Point Sea Turtle Patrol reported that all located nests were either inundated or completely washed out. While sea turtle nests can sometimes survive wash over, complete inundation of the nest chamber suffocates the eggs, ruining them.
Officials are urging residents in the path of the storm to prepare for the worst.
The last major hurricane to make landfall on the U.S. mainland was Hurricane Milton, a Category 3 storm that struck Florida's Gulf Coast on October 9, 2024.