Tropical Storm Bertha : Texas Could See Severe Weather This Week

Southeast Texas is facing a severe threat of tropical weather later this week. On Monday, the National Hurricane Center said that Tropical Depression Two is strengthening as it spins across the northern Gulf of Mexico. Storm watches stretch from the Florida Panhandle into New Orleans. The latest news indicates a sharp shift in the storm’s track that is expected to bring it back towards southeast Texas by Thursday or Friday.

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The depression is forecast to strengthen into tropical storm Bertha on Monday as it goes through the northeastern and north-central Gulf.

While the storm will move slowly through the eastern Gulf midweek, meteorologists expect a critical steering shift by late Tuesday going into Wednesday, then it is projected to have a sharp turn to the west. According to weather officials, the tropical storm winds could arrive in Texas as early as Wednesday evening, with rain and thunderstorm chances increasing across southwest Texas on Thursday and Friday.

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Forecasters have emphasized the uncertainty regarding the storm’s exact track, and final intensity remains higher thannormal.

State and local emergency management agencies are advising residents along the upper Texas coast to closely monitor the storm’s progress at hurricanes.gov as new data arrives.