Tropical Storm Bertha passing by Alabama's coast

WeatherTropical Storm Bertha continued to track generally westward near the northern Gulf Coast on Wednesday and will move away from Alabama and toward an eventual final landfall in Texas.National Hurricane CenterThe center of Tropical Storm Bertha began to move away from the Alabama coast on Wednesday but the risk for rip currents, rough seas and coastal flooding will hang around a while longer.Tropical storm warnings continued for the Alabama coast and stretched westward into Louisiana on Wednesday morning.Bertha, the second named storm of 2026 in the Atlantic, had 50 mph winds on Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center.The storm is expected to skirt the coast of Louisiana and eventually move onshore in eastern Texas on Thursday.Forecasters think Bertha will gradually weaken over the next few days. It is not expected to become a hurricane.The hurricane center said tropical-storm-force winds extended outward up to 105 miles from Bertha’s center of circulation. A wind gust to 49 mph was reported at the Pensacola Naval Air Station earlier this morning.Bertha may have peaked on Tuesday when it was south of Alabama’s coast. It had 60 mph winds at that point.Rough seas, rip currents and minor coastal flooding were reported in Alabama, according to the National Weather Service.As of 7 a.m. CDT Wednesday, the center of Bertha was located about 60 miles south of Pascagoula, Miss., and was tracking to the west at 5 mph.Tropical storm watches were extended westward along the Texas coast on Wednesday.The hurricane center said Bertha is expected to continue to track westward through Friday at a slow pace, which will keep it near the northern Gulf Coast.Here are the watches and warnings as of Wednesday morning:A tropical storm warning is in effect from the Okaloosa/Walton County Line in Florida to Morgan City, La.; metropolitan New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain.A tropical storm watch is in effect from west of Morgan City, La., to Sargent, Texas, and Lake Maurepas.What can Alabama expect?Alabama coastal areas remain under tropical storm warnings on Wednesday.NWSTropical storm warnings continued along the Alabama coast on Wednesday.The National Weather Service in Mobile said Bertha has brought some tropical-storm-force wind gusts to Alabama as well as some minor flooding along the coast.Here are the probabilities of areas in Alabama experiencing more tropical-storm-force winds:There is a 30-50 percent probability of tropical storm winds along Alabama beaches today.NWSForecasters continued to say the worst weather from Bertha will be closest to the coast and include:A high risk of life-threatening rip currents through late this week.Dangerous surf through Wednesday night.Coastal flooding around high tide this morning and possibly Thursday morning.Tropical-storm-force winds possible in outer rain bands near the coast.The Storm Prediction Center is not forecasting a risk for severe storms or tornadoes from Bertha.The weather service also said 1 to 3 feet of storm surge will continue to be possible along the coast and in Mobile Bay.The weather service expects improving conditions in Alabama on Friday and building heat through the weekend.Leigh Morgan is an Alabama native. She has written about weather for AL.com since 2013 and has been a weather nerd since Hurricane Frederic slammed into the Alabama coast in 1979. She started out in journalism...