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A tropical depression has formed along the Gulf Coast off Florida, according to the National Hurricane Center, as an area of low pressure becomes more defined and thunderstorms and rain increase.
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On the morning of July 20, the storm had maximum sustained winds of 35 mph and was located 110 miles south of Panama City, Florida, the hurricane center said in a 7 a.m. update.
Forecasters said the storm is expected to gradually strengthen into a tropical storm as it nears the Gulf Coast, including the Florida Panhandle and coast of Alabama, where tropical storm watches were in effect.
If it does become a tropical storm, it would be called Bertha, the second named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season. (Tropical Storm Arthur, in June, was the season’s first named storm.)
While the storm is expected to intensify, forecasters said Saharan dust and strong wind shear would likely prevent it from becoming a hurricane, according to Naples Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Network.
Communities along the Gulf Coast, including Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, should monitor the system, the National Hurricane Center advised, as it’s expected to bring high winds and heavy rains. The hurricane center warned of possible flash flooding from western Florida to the Texas coast.
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What’s the difference between a tropical depression and a tropical storm?
A tropical depression forms when low pressure, accompanied by thunderstorms, produces a circular wind flow with maximum sustained winds below 39 mph, according to NASA. The depression becomes a tropical storm when circulating winds become more organized and increase to gusts between 39-73 mph.
Is it La Niña?
An “Atlantic Niña” climate pattern, a rare phenomenon, has appeared in the tropics over the last few weeks as a powerful Super El Niño builds in the Pacific, according to the Severe Weather Europe website.
Climate.gov describes Atlantic Niña as a cooling of sea-surface temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean’s equatorial waters that can alter rain and wind patterns across the tropics and sometimes influence Atlantic hurricane activity. Its effects are generally weaker and more localized than the Pacific’s La Niña.
According to a report on the Severe Weather Europe website, “a rare ‘Atlantic Niña’ has appeared in the tropics, just as a powerful Super El Niño continues to build in the Pacific. These two ocean anomalies may look opposite on the map, but their atmospheric impact is pushing in the same direction, creating an atmospheric shield for the United States hurricane season.”
Contributing: Christopher Cann and Doyle Rice, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tropical depression forms in Gulf, National Hurricane Center says
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Reporting by Phaedra Trethan and Christopher Cann, USA TODAY / USA TODAY
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect
This story was originally published July 20, 2026 at 5:55 AM.