Tropical Storm Bertha strengthens as Gulf coast braces for flooding and surge

Storm warnings stretch from Florida to Louisiana as Bertha brings heavy rain, flooding risk and possible tornadoes

Tropical Storm Bertha strengthened in the Gulf of Mexico and was moving slowly toward the Florida Panhandle and Alabama, causing a tropical storm warning and storm surge watches, forecasters said.

The storm was about 110 miles (177km) south of Panama City, Florida, and 170 miles south-east of Mobile, Alabama, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said on Tuesday morning. It was moving north-west at 5mph (8km/h) with maximum sustained winds of 50mph.