Orange Beach, Ala. — (OBA) —  Tropical Storm Bertha, the second named storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season, was located due south of Dauphin Island and just southwest of Orange Beach as of 4 a.m. CDT this morning. The NWS National Hurricane Center in Miami issued Advisory 12, placing the storm's center near latitude 29.4 North, longitude 88.3 West — about 50 miles southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River. Maximum sustained winds have dropped to 50 mph, and the storm was moving due west at 5 mph. NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft tracked the system through the night.

Despite the storm's proximity on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, Orange Beach received only about half an inch of rain from the system, and Gulf Shores recorded approximately three-quarters of an inch. Most of the rainfall remained offshore, south of the storm's center of circulation, sparing the Alabama Gulf Coast from the heavier totals that had been possible earlier in the week.

In the past hour before the advisory, a 49 mph wind gust was reported at the Orange Beach Buoy, offshore the Alabama coastline. An oil platform in the Mississippi Canyon recorded sustained winds of 45 mph, with gusts up to 56 mph. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 105 miles from the center.

The NHC said Bertha is forecast to continue moving west through Friday, with a slight acceleration. The storm is expected to remain near or along the northern Gulf Coast for the next couple of days before moving toward the Texas coast.

Gradual weakening is forecast over the next several days, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm's minimum central pressure was 998 mb as of the 4 a.m. advisory.

The Tropical Storm Warning east of the Okaloosa-Walton County line in Florida was discontinued in this advisory. A Tropical Storm Warning remains in effect from the Okaloosa-Walton County line westward to Morgan City, Louisiana, including Metropolitan New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain. A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect from west of Morgan City to Cameron, Louisiana, and for Lake Maurepas.

Rough surf conditions are expected to persist along the Orange Beach and Gulf Shores shorelines through Wednesday, but local conditions are expected to improve quickly as the storm moves farther west. Beachgoers should still check flag conditions before entering the water and follow guidance from beach safety officials.