Tropical Storm Bertha is fading, but its moisture plume is fueling a serious East Coast flood threat. The disorganized, lopsided tropical storm was centered south of the Louisiana coast early Thursday with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph.

Local Impact

Bertha will move near or along the Louisiana and upper Texas coasts through Thursday afternoon before moving inland over Texas by Thursday night. The storm could bring 2 to 4 inches of rain, with isolated totals of 6 inches, along the Texas Gulf Coast and in South Texas, potentially causing isolated flash flooding.

A plume of tropical moisture linked to Bertha is feeding into a cold front draped across southeast Virginia, parts of the Carolinas and northern Georgia. That moisture will supercharge flooding rainfall through Thursday in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, potentially producing more serious impacts than those occurring near Bertha itself.

Flood Threat

The flood threat will continue Friday, when a Level 2 of 4 risk stretches from coastal North Carolina through South Carolina, northern Georgia and into northeast Alabama. Parts of the Level 2 risk area could be upgraded to Level 3 as forecast models gain a clearer picture of where exactly the heaviest rain will set up.

Original reporting: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.