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Tropical depression forms in Gulf, National Hurricane Center says
Phaedra TrethanUSA TODAY
Updated July 19, 2026, 1:18 p.m. ET
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
The hurricane center said July 19 on its website that a tropical storm warning was in effect for the Florida Panhandle through Monday night
While it was possible the depression could become a tropical storm, forecasters said Saharan dust and strong wind shear would likely prevent it from becoming a hurricane part of the USA TODAY Network. 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.)
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
What’s the difference between 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 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: Doyle Rice, USA TODAY
