Tropical Storm Bertha is expected to form off the Florida coast on Monday, bringing heavy rain and thunderstorms to the state's west coast, Big Bend area, and Panhandle. A tropical storm watch is in effect for much of Florida's Panhandle, and a storm surge watch is in effect from the Alabama/Florida border to the mouth of the Mississippi River. The depression is expected to produce up to 2 to 4 inches of rainfall through Friday along the Gulf Coast and adjacent inland locations from western Florida to the Middle Texas Coast, including southern portions of Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, reaching up to 6 inches in some areas. The National Hurricane Center is also keeping an eye on two tropical waves in the Atlantic and Caribbean, with one wave in the eastern Atlantic and another in the eastern Caribbean. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30, with 97% of tropical cyclone activity occurring during this time period. The peak of the season is September 10, with the most activity happening between mid-August and mid-October. The names for the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season are maintained by the World Meteorological Organization, with the first named storm being Tropical Storm Arthur.
