The National Hurricane Center upgraded a Gulf low to Tropical Depression Two Sunday, centered about 170 miles south-southeast of Panama City and moving north-northwest at 1 mph with maximum sustained winds of 30 mph. The NHC forecast expects the depression to become Tropical Storm Bertha late Sunday or Monday and strengthen to about 60 mph sustained winds by Wednesday morning, though forecasters said confidence is low because of uncertain land interaction. A tropical storm watch is in effect for Florida from the Ochlockonee River to the Alabama border, where tropical-storm conditions are possible by late Monday. Forecasters warned of a 1 to 3 foot storm surge from Indian Pass to Chassahowitzka and rainfall totals of 2 to 4 inches, with isolated amounts up to 8 inches, through Thursday across western Florida into southern Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, creating a threat of flash flooding. The National Weather Service in Tampa cautioned that rounds of gusty winds and heavy rainfall could produce strong gusts, localized street and low-lying flooding, and a marginal risk for excessive rainfall along the immediate west coast of Florida. The 2026 season has produced one named storm so far, Tropical Storm Arthur, and Bertha is the next name on the list; NOAA projects a below-normal season with 8 to 14 named storms this year.
