Tropical Storm Bertha moves toward Louisiana, prompting coastal closures and sandbag distribution

Tropical Storm Bertha tracked westward along the Gulf Coast on Wednesday, positioning about 55 miles northeast of the Mississippi River mouth and moving at roughly 6 mph. The system generated tropical-storm-force winds extending up to 100 miles from its center and sustained winds of 50 mph, prompting a tropical storm warning from the Florida Panhandle to Louisiana, including the New Orleans area.

Coastal authorities closed parks, piers and low-lying roads, while double-red flag warnings shut beaches to swimmers. Forecasts indicated storm surges of up to 4 feet in Louisiana and rain totals of 2 to 4 inches, with higher amounts possible in isolated spots.

"Landfall really doesn’t have a whole lot of meaning in this particular case," said Robbie Berg, a warning coordination meteorologist at the National Hurricane Center.

Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida opened sandbag distribution sites to help residents protect property. The storm follows Tropical Storm Arthur, which earlier in June caused heavy rainfall and flooding in the southeastern United States.

Elsewhere, a line of storms produced tornado reports from Cincinnati to New Jersey, and heavy rains led to flash-flooding and rescues in West Virginia.

In the eastern Pacific, Hurricane Fausto remained far from land, though swells generated by the storm could create hazardous surf and rip-tide conditions along the Baja California coast.