WEATHER: TS Bertha becomes second named storm developing in Gulf, flash flooding possible on Wednesday

Northwest Georgia might not be anywhere close enough to feel the impacts of newly-minted Tropical Storm Bertha in the Gulf, but rainfall in the mountains on Wednesday as it impacts other fronts across the region will bring about chances for flash flooding and thunderstorms.

The National Hurricane Center upgraded TS Bertha – the second named storm to form in the Gulf so far this season – from a Tropical Depression overnight as maximum sustained winds reached 60 mph per the last update from the weather service.

Bertha is expected to remain a coastal storm on the Gulf, set to make landfall in Louisiana south of New Orleans, and make a second landfall as a Tropical Depression again on the Texas coastline.

Bertha is currently south of the Florida Panhandle in line with the Pensacola region, and by early Wednesday should be off the Alabama coastline heading toward Mississippi and an initial landfall in Southeast Louisiana.

Tropical Storm Warnings are already in place for All of the Alabama and Mississippi Gulf coastlines, and warnings and watches are in place for Southern Louisiana.

Impacts locally from the storm are indirect, but are primarily caused by Tropical Storm Bertha pushing against frontal boundaries, which will draw moisture into the region and combined with the hot days ahead should fuel rainfall and storm development.

Flash flooding could be a problem starting Wednesday night as rain is expected to begin impacting Northwest Georgia during the evening and overnight hours, and remain over the region through the remainder of the week and heading into the weekend. Rain chances do taper off by Sunday and heading into the start of next week.

Despite the wet weather potential over the coming days, NWS Peachtree City is also warning today of high heat indexes around the region through Wednesday. It could feel like upward of 104 to 105 degrees around the area over the next two days with a mix of sunshine and clouds combined with high humidity fueling the dog days of summer outside.

Those who are required to work outside should be aware of heat dangers, must hydrate regularly with water, and get into shady spots or indoors with air conditioning for regular breaks.

Smoke coming across the northern border

Another impact that is causing problems around the nation – depending on location, of course – is wildfire smoke drifting southward from Canada, where 843 blazes were actively burning as reported by authorities from our northern neighbors.

Those have brought about a variety of air quality issues in major cities including Chicago, New York and Washington, D.C.

Enough of a problem that President Donald Trump floated the ideas of new tariffs after blaming Canadian fires for “poisoning” the air over the United States.

The problem isn’t limited to Canada. The United States has a large number of active fires underway in the Rocky Mountains regions of Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, along with the Pacific Northwest from the Canadian border to Northern California, just north of San Francisco.

Fires are also impacting multiple areas of Florida as well, and a scattering of wildfires reported actively in South Carolina.