Tropical Storm Bertha trying to develop off the coast in unfavorable conditions

[00:00:00]Come back now at 5:42. I'm Rob Krieger.

[00:00:02]>> And I'm Kelsey Davis. Let's get over to meteorologist Zack Fradella who is tracking the latest with Tropical Storm Bertha.

[00:00:07]>> Bertha getting closer and closer to the Louisiana coastline. It's trying. You got to give this thing some brownie points for trying to develop in this really bad environment, but the wind shear is not allowing it. Another little blowup of convection south end of the circulation, but it's already starting to fall apart because that wind shear it's going to grab it and then push it down to the south. Everything going according to the forecast. There's all your bad weather and it's about 100 or so miles south of the Louisiana coastline. Now, we still will have a circulation making landfall today. Uh that circulation is about to move over the southern end of the Chandeleur Islands. That's the center of Bertha. Uh that's going to come right into uh Plaquemines Parish over the next few hours. This band on the southern end, we'll watch it for the next few hours here because I think this is going to get stronger. And as it gets stronger, there will be some heavier rain starting to spread across our mouth of the river areas and this would eventually move its way uh towards Grand Isle later this morning. North end, it's just showers that are flying on through here. Now, these will be some breezy showers.

[00:01:06]There's going to be some wind in here, but it's not going to be anything significant and certainly no heavy heavy rains expected the farther north you go from that landfall point. We're about 55 miles now off the coastline. So, uh you run the math there, you're looking at about 2:00 or 3:00 this afternoon where we get the official landfall of Bertha here in southeast Louisiana. Let's go hour by hour because the next few hours, it's going to be the same thing you're seeing on radar. North winds still blowing here across southeast Louisiana not really causing a ton of water level rise except for some areas. Shell Beach, you'll get water because you're going to have Lake Borgne trying to flood you from the north. The eastern side of Plaquemines Parish, you'll get water cuz you're going to have the north wind trying to flood you. Mississippi Gulf Coast doing fine now. That as the wind shift out of the east later on this morning and into this afternoon when that landfall happens, that's when you start to really push in the water there to Wave Run. You start to push in the water into Venetian Isles and you and our entire eastern coastline will start to take on water as we flip those winds around more easterly and eventually they go southeasterly. There's that band that I was talking about. You see the heavy rains that are going to be situated along the coastline as we get into that landfall time, but nothing inland. I mean, we will have some passing brief downpours in the city. Gets fewer and fewer the farther north you go and once you go to the north shore, you're basically not looking at much weather at all today other than a breeze and heat.

[00:02:30]Yes, there will be some really hot conditions because of this humidity that's around. But there's our center by this evening is crossing the coastline going over a Lafourche Parish, Terrebonne Parish. Still having that southern band, southeastern southern band will be pretty nasty weather there in Grand Isle for the afternoon into this evening and our winds as they shift around, that's what's going to really start to push in the water. Now, our low tides are this afternoon evening. High tides are in the morning. Some of our highest tides might actually come tomorrow morning when we get a high tide cycle with more of a southerly wind even though the winds will be dying off by the time we get into tomorrow and you see the weather how quickly we're just going to push this away from us. This is at 11:00 a.m. for you Thursday. There will be some feeder bands rotating in for Thursday morning, Thursday afternoon. There will still be a rain chance. After that day, I think our rain chances are dropping down to 20% and they could be gone for good for a while as the heat builds in for our weekend.

[00:03:25]Coastal flood warning up for our eastern shoreline also the Mississippi Gulf Coast. 2 to 4 ft water level rise. We are starting to notice some water coming up in these spots. 1 to 3 ft in the lake and 1 to 3 ft southern shoreline.

[00:03:36]Because of the trajectory of this track, we're not going to see a ton of water into our southern half. Here's the 7-day forecast and don't forget there is an extreme heat warning up for today especially north shore. south shore we're going to get this cloud cover going pretty early so that should help try to cool us off, and the breeze does help, too. Uh tomorrow with the south winds, we won't get as hot, but then we really ramp up the heat for the weekend and beyond, and you look long range next week, that's a 96, and that's a 98. So, um I guess enjoy today's cloud cover. You know, Bertha doesn't look to be a huge impactful storm. Maybe the cloud cover will make it feel a little bit better uh cuz next week we're going to be >> going to feel a lot hotter.

[00:04:15]>> Yeah.

[00:04:15]>> So, take advantage of the the cloud cover we're getting inland, and of course, people closer to the coast keep an eye on what's happening as it's moving >> the water on those water level numbers, and then also it will rain pretty good, I think, along the coast.

[00:04:27]>> Good news, it seems like most people have taken heed, especially on the coast, and they've started moving those boats and and moving anything else inland they need to to protect it. They they know they know what to do, right?

[00:04:35]Correct. Correct.

[00:04:36]>> All right.