Tropical Storm Bertha expected to weaken as it moves toward US

Storm warnings stretch from Florida to Louisiana as Bertha brings heavy rain, flooding risk and possible tornadoes Tropical Storm Bertha strengthened in the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday but was expected to weaken this week as it chugs closer to the US, potentially bringing coastal flooding and heavy rain from the Florida Panhandle to Louisiana. Those areas along the northern Gulf coast were under a tropical storm warning through Wednesday and could see rain and flooding into Thursday morning, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said. New Orleans also was under a tropical storm warning. The storm was about 120 miles (190km) south-west of Panama City, Florida, and 105 miles (170km) south-east of Mobile, Alabama, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said on Tuesday evening. It was moving at 6mph (9km/h) to the west with maximum sustained winds near 60mph), the hurricane center said. Gradual weakening was forecast for Wednesday through Friday. Bertha was forecast to make landfall on Wednesday night somewhere in the coastal and lightly populated part of Louisiana south-east of New Orleans, said Michael Buchanan, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Louisian