Tropical depression Bertha weakens, but East flood threat remains
Tropical depression Bertha weakened Thursday evening near Houston, but its leftover moisture is still fueling a serious flood threat hundreds of miles east. A tropical moisture plume linked to the storm is feeding soaking rain along a stalled front from the Carolinas into parts of Georgia, Alabama, Virginia and Tennessee through Friday.
Key Takeaways
- Bertha weakened to a tropical depression Thursday evening about 10 miles north-northeast of Houston, yet rain continued across parts of eastern Texas.
- Its moisture plume is driving a broader flooding-rain threat far inland, including parts of the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama, Virginia and Tennessee.
- Some North Carolina spots have already seen roughly a month of rain in a few days, with more expected through Friday.
- Remnants could still drop 1 to 3 inches (isolated 4 inches) along the middle Texas Gulf Coast and in South Texas, with isolated flash flooding possible.
- A Level 2 of 4 flood-rain risk covers a wide Southeast corridor; a Level 3 risk was flagged Thursday from near Raleigh to Virginia Beach.
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What happened to tropical depression Bertha?
According to CNN Weather, Bertha weakened to a depression Thursday evening while centered roughly 10 miles north-northeast of Houston. The system was still producing rain over eastern Texas after earlier Gulf Coast impacts.
Yahoo News video coverage showed AccuWeather reporting from the Texas coast as Bertha moved inland following a second landfall on July 23. The Washington Post noted the storm had made landfall near New Orleans on Wednesday before tracking toward Houston.
Bertha was the Atlantic season’s second named storm in a year that has started slowly as El Niño tightens its grip on parts of the basin, CNN reported.
Why is the worst flood threat hundreds of miles inland?
The Washington Post reported that some of Bertha’s worst weather was expected more than 800 miles inland over North Carolina and southern Virginia. Early Thursday, moisture from Bertha was being drawn from the Gulf of Mexico across the Southeast.
Near North Carolina—already in severe drought—that warm, moist air collided with a stalled front, rising and condensing into heavy rain. CNN said a similar plume was feeding soaking rain along a cold front draped across the Southeast, potentially causing more flooding far from Bertha than near the center itself.
Forecasters posted a Level 3 of 4 excessive-rainfall risk Thursday in a corridor from near Raleigh, North Carolina, to near Virginia Beach, with a broader Level 2 risk covering cities including Atlanta and Charlotte.
Where is flooding already hitting, and what comes next?
Heavy rain Thursday morning prompted flash flood warnings in southeast Virginia, eastern North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. Flooding briefly closed a short stretch of Interstate 40 northwest of Durham, North Carolina; the state’s transportation department said it later reopened.
Wednesday night storms around Greensboro and Winston-Salem dropped up to 6 inches in 12 hours. CNN said there were no flood reports there yet, helped by prolonged rather than intense rainfall over drought-parched ground. North of Knoxville, Tennessee, up to 5 inches in a few hours sparked flash flooding Wednesday morning.
More rounds of rain are expected through Friday. Thursday afternoon thunderstorms could deliver rates up to 2 inches per hour—enough to overwhelm urban drains in Atlanta, Birmingham and Charlotte. CNN said a Level 2 of 4 flood risk would stretch Friday from coastal North Carolina through South Carolina, northern Georgia and into northeast Alabama.
Near the remnant center, eastern Texas could still see 1 to 3 inches of rain, with isolated totals near 4 inches along the middle Texas Gulf Coast and in South Texas through Thursday night. Isolated flash flooding remains possible, though dry soils should limit a larger threat.