Tropical Storm Bertha forms off the Florida coast, prompting storm alerts

New Orleans could see tropical storm conditions by Wednesday.

Tropical Storm Bertha was churning Tuesday about 90 miles southwest of Panama City, Florida, skirting the Gulf Coast on a path expected to take it to the shores of southeastern Louisiana.

By 2:00 p.m. ET, Bertha continued to strengthen while moving northwest at about 5 mph, with maximum sustained winds measured at 60 mph.

Bertha remains a lopsided system, with the bulk of its heavy rainfall and strongest winds south of its center, well offshore so far.

Tropical storm watches and warnings were in effect for parts of the Florida Panhandle to the coast of southeastern Louisiana, including Florida's Panama City and Pensacola, along with Mobile, Alabama, and Gulfport, Mississippi.

A tropical storm watch was in effect for New Orleans as of Tuesday afternoon.

On the forecast track, the storm was expected to slowly move along the Gulf Coast through Tuesday before approaching southern Louisiana on Wednesday, still as a rather weak tropical storm.

New Orleans is likely to see some showers and gusty winds, some of which could potentially be tropical storm force, starting Tuesday night and lasting through Wednesday and into Thursday, but major impacts are not anticipated.

Patrick Maddox, director of public safety for Okaloosa County, Florida, advised people in Bertha's path to "don't discount the storm," despite reports indicating it will likely weaken before reaching land.

"Until the threat has passed, we never turn our back on a system in this Gulf," Maddox told ABC News.

New Orleans resident Tina Edwards, who moved to the city eight months before Hurricane Katrina devastated it in August 2005, was filling her vehicle with sandbags on Tuesday to fortify her home for any possible flooding.

"It's better to be prepared than not be prepared because you never know what could happen," Edwards told ABC News. "And if you're prepared, you're not going to be caught off guard."

A tropical depression that formed over the weekend strengthened on Monday night into Tropical Storm Bertha, according to the National Hurricane Center, prompting a tropical storm watch on Monday for parts of the Gulf Coast.

A tropical storm is defined as a tropical cyclone with maximum sustained winds of 39 mph to 73 mph.

Beyond Wednesday, Bertha was expected to continue moving westward toward Texas while weakening. It was expected to dissipate or turn post-tropical on Thursday night or Friday as it approaches the Texas coast.

Scattered showers and thunderstorms are possible on Tuesday along the Gulf Coast and Florida Panhandle, with a storm surge that could reach 1 to 4 feet. Life-threatening rip currents were also expected to be possible.

The rain and thunderstorm activity was forecast to shift toward southern Alabama and Mississippi on Tuesday and Wednesday. Gusty winds would also be possible, along with a widespread 2 to 4 inches of rain, with locally higher amounts up to 8 inches through Friday along the Gulf Coast.

Major rain or flooding from Bertha is not expected.

The National Hurricane Center said the system would likely have a very asymmetric structure, with the bulk of the rainfall and much of the wind expected to occur to the south of the center, meaning it would not be over land.

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