New Orleans area residents kept a wary eye on Tropical Storm Bertha on Monday, as it triggered storm watches while lumbering on a more organized path toward the state.
The former depression took its place as the second named storm of the Atlantic season late Monday, and it is expected to bring tropical storm-force winds and up to 4 feet of storm surge when it makes landfall on coastal southeast Louisiana.
Rain and flash flooding, particularly south of Interstate 10, is also expected, National Weather Service forecasters said.
Forecasters said that wind shear impacting the system is likely to give it an asymmetric structure, with the bulk of the rain and wind to the south of the storm’s center.
“This should keep the greatest impact across the Gulf, but will also mean that if the storm tracks farther north, some of the more impactful weather will move onshore,” Danielle Manning, an NWS meteorologist, said Monday. “Rapid intensification is unlikely with this storm.”
National Hurricane Center forecasters issued a tropical storm watch Monday from the Ochlockonee River in Florida westward to Jefferson and Plaquemines parishes, along with a storm surge watch stretching from the Alabama and Florida border to the mouth of the Mississippi River in southeast Louisiana.
“It is expected to have the biggest impact on us here in southeast Louisiana on Wednesday,” senior meteorologist Damon Singleton said.
“[It’s] moving pretty slowly because, in part, due to the fact that it's kind of sandwiched between two high-pressure systems. We're expecting this thing to pick up speed over the next couple of days and to get a little bit stronger,” he said.
Algiers residents make sandbags ahead of Tropical Storm Bertha at Morris FX Jeff Sr. Park in Algiers, Monday, July 20, 2026.
STAFF PHOTO BY DAVID GRUNFELD
Bertha follows Tropical Storm Arthur, which dropped several inches of rain and caused minor flooding in June.
Across the New Orleans metro area, officials and residents began preparing on Monday for the system’s landfall. Orleans, St. Tammany, St. Charles and St. John the Baptist parishes opened up dozens of sandbag distribution sites and issued alerts.
While out at a distribution site in Uptown New Orleans, District B Councilmember Lesli Harris encouraged people to stock up on supplies and sign up for city alerts to stay informed.
"Certainly, for any sort of storm that is encroaching, get water," she said. "Make sure that you have enough water for yourself, for your pets and for any vulnerable people around."
What to expect in Louisiana
The latest forecast track had Bertha making landfall south of New Orleans in Plaquemines Parish late Wednesday or early Thursday morning. Forecasters said on Monday they were not entirely certain of the system’s potential path, as it was moving “erratically.”
As of 7 p.m. Monday, the storm was about 110 miles south of Panama City, Florida, slowly drifting west-northwest at 3 mph. It was producing maximum sustained winds of 40 mph.
The storm is expected to intensify gradually thanks to its unorganized structure and the dry air surrounding it. Its winds are expected to peak at 50 mph.
Areas around New Orleans could see gusty winds by Tuesday evening, which will push across Louisiana through Wednesday.
Between 2 and 5 inches of rain could fall along the coast of southeast Louisiana on Wednesday, though cities inland could see less rain. Minor to moderate coastal flooding is possible, and some localized flash flooding could also occur in urban areas, NWS forecaster Christopher Bannan said.
Storm surge along the mouth of the Mississippi River east to the Alabama-Florida border could reach between 2 and 4 feet. Along Lake Pontchartrain’s shores, storm surge could reach 1 to 3 feet.
Bannan emphasized that there is still a lower-than-normal confidence in the intensity forecast and adjustments could be made.
“For those folks anywhere along areas affected by tide or the lake or any of its tributaries … wherever the water goes is where our greatest concerns are," said Clint Ory, emergency operations director in St. Tammany Parish. “We’re very closely monitoring any changes.”
Preparations begin
Officials in New Orleans and in surrounding parishes jumped into action Monday, working to get residents and local agencies prepared for the incoming storm. At sandbag locations across the region, locals grabbed and filled up bags in the hope of preventing any potential flooding that Bertha could bring.
At a distribution site near the Dryades YMCA on Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard, one of more than 20 open across area parishes, Geral Snow grabbed six sandbags and hauled them to his vehicle.
He sought to avoid a repeat of Tropical Storm Arthur, when he didn't get sandbags, and water crept through the front door of his Uptown home.
"I didn't have none because I missed it last time, so when I saw [the sandbag distribution] I said, 'Hey, let me go early and get some,'" Snow said. "Just in case it gets bad."
Christian Mosley-Richardson, left, helps Johnisha West fill sandbags ahead of Tropical Storm Bertha at Morris FX Jeff Sr. Park in Algiers, Monday, July 20, 2026.
STAFF PHOTO BY DAVID GRUNFELD
Officials at the beleaguered New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board attempted to soothe residents’ fears ahead of the storm after pump issues led to street flooding in Mid-City, Lakeview, Hollygrove and Broadmoor during a strong thunderstorm earlier this month.
The utility has increased staffing and updated procedures at its pumping stations, S&WB Executive Director Randy Hayman said.
“We are prepared, and I take every major rainstorm and every small rainstorm as a test,” said Hayman.
Eighty-seven of 93 major drainage pumps were operational on Monday and crews have started clearing catch basins, Hayman said.
In Jefferson Parish, officials plan to move the annual Grand Isle Parish Council meeting on Wednesday to Gretna in anticipation of the incoming storm.
Jefferson Parish spokesperson Rachel Strassel said 196 out of the parish's 198 pumps were operational as of Monday, with added capacity to make up for the two outages.
Staff writers Kasey Bubnash, Lara Nicholson, Sophie Kasakove and Violet Bucaro contributed to this report.