Tropical Storm Bertha May Bring Flash Floods And Rainfall To West Florida

By Jay Waagmeester, Florida Phoenix

July 21, 2026

Now a tropical storm, Bertha is headed beyond Florida’s borders, bringing with it potential flash flooding and up to six inches of rainfall.

The Tuesday afternoon update from the National Weather Service’s National Hurricane Center says Bertha has “tropical storm conditions spreading over portions of the Florida Panhandle.”

As of 1 p.m. Central Daylight Time, the storm was about 90 miles southwest of Panama City with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph. The storm is moving at 5 mph.

As of Tuesday afternoon, a tropical storm warning was in effect from the Bay and Gulf county line westward to Louisiana, meaning tropical storm conditions are expected within 36 hours.

The forecast indicates “little change in strength” in the storm Tuesday and calls for “gradual weakening” Wednesday until Friday.

Florida’s Panhandle has at least a 5% chance of experiencing flash flooding within the next five days, according to a Tuesday forecast.

As much as 3 feet of peak storm surge is forecast for Florida’s coast west of the Aucilla River in Jefferson County, if the surge happens during high tide.

By Wednesday morning, the eye of the storm was expected to be west of Florida’s westernmost border.

Tuesday, NWS said, “Bertha has become slightly better organized this morning.”

Tuesday morning NWS extended the tropical storm warning, saying Bertha is expected to produce tropical storm conditions to “portions of the Gulf Coast from the Florida Panhandle westward to southeastern Louisiana later today and Wednesday.”

Isolated flash flooding through Friday on the western coast of Florida is possible, with up to 6 inches of rain in western Florida.

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