As of the 4 a.m. advisory from the National Hurricane Center, the system was about 120 miles south of Panama City, with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph, and crawling to the northwest at 3 mph.
If upgraded, the storm would take the name “Bertha,” which would be the second named storm of the 2026 Atlantic Hurricane Season.
Currently, all of Northwest Florida, coastal Alabama and coastal Mississippi are under a Tropical Storm Watch. Forecasters from NWS say surf can reach 10 to 12 feet by Tuesday evening, with a high rip current risk through Thursday.
“Guidance shows increasing surf above 5 feet by Tuesday morning and quickly rises through the evening to peak at 10-12 feet which lasts through Wednesday afternoon,” wrote forecasters with the National Weather Service in Mobile, Alabama.
Most of the storm’s heaviest rain is expected to stay over the Gulf, with its center forecasted to remain offshore. Even so, the Weather Prediction Center placed the region under a marginal risk for heavy rainfall through Thursday.
Minor coastal flooding could also become a concern Wednesday and Thursday morning as forecasters say high tide will line up with onshore winds. Areas such as Fort Pickens could be the most affected, although confidence remains low.
TD2 will be heading northwest until forecasters say it will take a more westward track.
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