Tropical Storm Bertha makes landfall in Louisiana as East Coast braces for flooding

Tropical Storm Bertha made landfall Wednesday afternoon in southeastern Louisiana, bringing strong winds, rough surf and hazardous beach conditions to the Gulf Coast while setting the stage for a more significant flooding threat across parts of the eastern United States.

According to the National Hurricane Center, Bertha came ashore in St. Bernard Parish around 3 p.m. ET with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph. The storm was located just southeast of New Orleans as it moved westward along the Louisiana coastline.

Although Bertha remains a relatively weak and poorly organized tropical storm, tropical storm warnings remain in effect along much of the Louisiana coast and parts of coastal Alabama. Forecasters expect the storm to weaken as it tracks toward coastal Texas through Thursday.

Heavy rain from Bertha is expected to remain mostly offshore, limiting the flash flood risk along the Gulf Coast. However, residents can still expect gusty winds, periods of rain, coastal flooding, dangerous rip currents and rough surf from the Florida Panhandle westward to Louisiana.

The storm's greatest impact may be felt hundreds of miles away.

Moisture from Bertha is expected to combine with a stalled weather front across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic, creating a heightened risk of heavy rainfall and flash flooding through Friday.

Forecasters warn that parts of southern Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and northern Georgia could receive 2 to 6 inches of rain, with isolated locations seeing even higher totals if thunderstorms repeatedly move over the same areas.

A Level 3 out of 4 excessive rainfall risk remains in effect along portions of the Virginia-North Carolina border through Friday morning, where dangerous flash flooding is possible. A broader Level 2 risk extends across much of the Mid-Atlantic, Appalachian region and parts of the Southeast.

The flooding threat comes after severe storms earlier this week produced historic flooding in parts of West Virginia.

Meanwhile, Bertha is forecast to continue weakening as it approaches Texas. Even if the storm dissipates before reaching the state, its remnants could still bring additional rainfall and gusty winds to portions of the Texas Gulf Coast later this week.