The National Weather Service has issued a tropical storm warning for three coastal Mississippi counties.
Since the system formed in the northeastern part of the Gulf, it has been upgraded from a tropical depression to a tropical storm. Hancock, Harrison, and Jackson Counties are all under the warning as Tropical Storm Bertha makes its way towards Louisiana from the Florida Panhandle.
Amite, Pearl River, Pike, and Walthall counties have been placed under a tropical storm watch by the NWS, though there is a chance of a warning being issued as the storm draws closer. Bertha is estimated to make landfall in southeastern Louisiana as early as Wednesday afternoon. Mississippi could begin seeing conditions around 1 p.m. on Wednesday.
“Bertha is forecast to bring the threat of tropical storm force wind gusts, locally heavy rainfall generally south of I-10, and storm surge,” meteorologists from NWS wrote in a storm overview. “The coastal areas of Mississippi and southeast Louisiana will have the greatest threat, especially along and south of I-10.”
With flooding anticipated in the southernmost counties in Mississippi, sandbag locations have been released for residents in Hancock, Harrison, and Jackson counties. Sandbags can be used to help protect homes and property by creating barriers that prevent or reduce flood damage, divert flowing water and debris, and weigh down structures during high winds.
