Florida Moderate Tropical Cyclone Local Statement | Effective 07/22/2026 02:15

HLSTAE This product covers eastern Florida panhandle, Florida Big Bend, southeastern Alabama and southwestern Georgia **BERTHA MOVING AWAY. TROPICAL STORM WARNINGS ARE CANCELLED.** NEW INFORMATION --------------- * CHANGES TO WATCHES AND WARNINGS: - All watches and warnings have been canceled * CURRENT WATCHES AND WARNINGS: - None * STORM INFORMATION: - About 160 miles west-southwest of Panama City - 29.4N 88.3W - Storm Intensity 50 mph - Movement West or 270 degrees at 5 mph SITUATION OVERVIEW ------------------ ...TROPICAL STORM WARNINGS HAVE ENDED AS BERTHA MOVES AWAY FROM THE REGION... At 4 AM CDT, the center of Tropical Storm Bertha was located about 165 miles west-southwest of Panama City. Bertha was moving to the west at 5 mph. This general motion away from the region will continue through Thursday. Maximum sustained winds were near 50 mph. As Bertha moves further from the eastern Panhandle and in the direction of Louisiana, weather conditions along the coast will slowly improve today. Lingering gusty squalls this morning will diminish around midday. Lingering windy conditions are still expected. Sustained winds along the coast near 25 mph are expected until this afternoon, so a Wind Advisory is now in effect for coastal communities along the Panhandle and Forgotten Coasts. Ocean and surf conditions will be slower to improve. Very rough surf will continue into Thursday morning. Substantial improvement in seas over the open Gulf will finally get underway on Thursday. At the beaches, life-threatening rip currents will continue through Friday. Beachgoers should heed the advice of beach flags and plan to have fun out of the water. Minor coastal flooding is likely this morning during the high tide cycle along the coast of Apalachee Bay west of the Aucilla River and along the Florida Panhandle coast. 1 to 2 feet of inundation over normally dry ground near the shoreline is expected around the time of high tide. No additional coastal flooding is expected after the this morning's high tide cycle. Brief downpours through today may cause short-lived nuisance flooding and ponding of water on roads, mainly over the Panhandle. POTENTIAL IMPACTS ----------------- * SURGE: Minor coastal flooding remains possible around the time of high tide this morning along the Panhandle coast and the Forgotten Coast. Normally dry ground near the shoreline may experience 1 to 2 feet of inundation. Elsewhere across eastern Florida panhandle, Florida Big Bend, southeastern Alabama and southwestern Georgia, little to no impact is anticipated. * WIND: Little additional impact is anticipated at this time across eastern Florida panhandle, Florida Big Bend, southeastern Alabama and southwestern Georgia. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS ---------------------------------- * OTHER PREPAREDNESS INFORMATION: Beachgoers should remain out of the water today due to dangerous surf conditions. * ADDITIONAL SOURCES OF INFORMATION: - For information on appropriate preparations see ready.gov - For additional disaster preparedness information see redcross.org NEXT UPDATE ----------- As it pertains to this event...this will be the last local statement issued by the National Weather Service in Tallahassee FL regarding the effects of tropical cyclone hazards upon the area.