Tropical Depression Two Takes Aim at Texas as Bertha Looms Later This Week
(NOTE: At 7:00 p.m. this evening, TD2 became Tropical Strom Bertha.)
The system remains over very warm Gulf waters, with sea surface temperatures ranging from 85 to 88 degrees, giving it plenty of fuel to work with.
EVENING UPDATE
BULLETIN Tropical Storm Bertha Intermediate Advisory Number 6A NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL AL022026 700 PM CDT Mon Jul 20 2026 ...NOAA HURRICANE HUNTERS FIND THAT THE DEPRESSION HAS STRENGTHENED INTO TROPICAL STORM BERTHA... SUMMARY OF 700 PM CDT...0000 UTC...INFORMATION ---------------------------------------------- LOCATION...28.6N 86.0W ABOUT 110 MI...180 KM S OF PANAMA CITY FLORIDA ABOUT 190 MI...310 KM SE OF MOBILE ALABAMA MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...40 MPH...65 KM/H PRESENT MOVEMENT...WNW OR 300 DEGREES AT 3 MPH...6 KM/H MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...1004 MB...29.65 INCHES
While the storm’s earliest impacts will be felt across Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, attention is increasingly turning toward Texas.
Meteorologists expect the depression to turn sharply westward by midweek, presenting a heightened threat to Southeast Texas by Thursday or Friday. A critical steering shift is anticipated by late Tuesday into Wednesday, when the system is projected to turn sharply west, with tropical storm-force winds potentially reaching Texas coastal waters as early as Wednesday evening.
For most of the state, though, this looks primarily like a rainmaker rather than a wind event. For southeast Texas, the center of circulation isn’t expected to arrive until late Thursday into Friday, and right now this looks more like a rain event than a major wind event. Rain and storm chances are expected to ramp up sharply as the week progresses.
Forecasters are careful to note that confidence remains lower than usual. Forecast confidence remains low because the storm’s track could shift significantly over the next several days, and Houston is expected to stay hot and dry through at least Wednesday before any tropical moisture arrives. Two broad scenarios are on the table: a northward track that increases land interaction and weakens the system faster, versus a track that keeps the storm over water longer, allowing it to strengthen before reaching the coast.
Rainfall totals across the northern Gulf Coast, including Louisiana and Texas, could be substantial. Some areas could see up to 8 inches of rain, which could trigger local flash flooding, especially in urban areas. Given recent flooding in parts of the Texas Hill Country, any westward shift in the heaviest rain bands would raise flash-flood concerns.
Texans along the coast and inland waterways are urged to monitor updates from the National Hurricane Center closely through midweek, as the storm’s exact track — and therefore its Friday-into-Saturday impact on the state — remains one of the bigger open questions of the week.
Sources:
- FOX 7 Austin / FOX 26 Houston, “National Hurricane Center warns Tropical Depression Two could target Texas this week”
- Click2Houston, “Tropical Depression Two forms in the Gulf and tracks into Houston late week”
- KHOU, “Tropical Depression 2 expected to strengthen, but questions remain about its track”
- Weather.com, “Tropical Storm Bertha will form in the Gulf this week”
- CNN, “Tropical Depression Two forms in the Gulf, will bring heavy rain and coastal flooding”
Freed after 297 days in ICE detention, Austin teacher Roberto López Falcón hopes to return to the classroom he never meant to leave. Falcón, a fifth grade English as a second language teacher at Hart Elementary School, was detained last October and held at the Karnes County Immigration Processing Center. (Austin Current)
Protests against tactics used by ICE were held in Kyle Sunday.
In South Texas, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement says its Harlingen field office set a new record after agents arrested 238 people during a targeted enforcement operation in the Rio Grande Valley.
Alleging a politically motivated prosecution spanning nearly six years, former Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody and Assistant County Attorney Jason Nassour filed a federal civil rights lawsuit on July 17. The suit targets Travis County DA José Garza, Williamson County DA Shawn Dick, and their respective counties.
The issue of Austin City Councilmember Natasha Harper-Madison’s attendance and participation has been a recurring point of local scrutiny, public debate, and official complaints.
The details regarding her attendance record, the public friction over how she participates, and the broader context of council attendance regulations in Austin include:
1. The Core Attendance Record and Virtual Friction
Local investigative reporting and public records have highlighted that since the start of her second term, Harper-Madison has disproportionately missed more council sessions or attended them remotely compared to her peers:
- Absences and Medical Leave: Her overall attendance figures dropped due to a string of missed meetings, including a formal 60-day medical leave taken for mental health treatment.
- The “Gray Box” Controversy: When she does participate remotely, she frequently keeps her camera turned off. This practice boiled over during critical public hearings on major city-wide zoning and land-use updates (such as the HOME 2 initiative). During those meetings, community members attempting to address her directly expressed intense frustration that they were speaking to a blank “gray box” on the dais screen.
- Quorum Concerns: On multiple occasions, her physical absence from City Hall raised practical concerns about whether the remaining members physically on the dais legally constituted a quorum to conduct official city business.
2. Physical Proximity vs. Performance Defenses
The contrast between her sporadic physical presence at City Hall and the fact that her personal residence sits just a few miles away in East Austin (District 1) has been explicitly pointed out by critics and frustrated constituents. During public testimony at various commissions, residents have characterized the routine absences as an “abandonment of responsibility”.
In response to these criticisms, Harper-Madison and her staff have defended her record by separating raw attendance from overall legislative impact:
- Policy Focus: Her office has consistently argued that councilmembers are fundamentally policymakers, urging constituents to judge her performance by the policy she successfully champions—specifically regarding housing affordability, equity, and planning—rather than just hours logged on the dais.
- Remote Justifications: When directly confronted by citizens over her blank camera feed, Harper-Madison has pointed to ongoing personal challenges, including treating severe physical injuries and fractures, as the primary reason she has had to rely heavily on virtual access.
3. Official Complaints and Dismissals
The frustration over her absences and her alignment with private developers on key neighborhood rezonings culminated in two formal multi-part ethics complaints filed by a local activist.
- The complaints accused Harper-Madison of violating standard codes of conduct, misusing her official title, and abandoning her duties.
- After a lengthy, months-long review process, Austin’s Ethics Review Commission ultimately opted not to advance the complaints to a final hearing, dismissing the charges because they lacked the structural jurisdiction to penalize a member for attendance-related behavior.
4. Lack of Structural Safeguards
A significant part of why this behavior has gone unpenalized is the framework of Austin’s city government itself. While several major metropolitan cities across Texas enforce rigid attendance requirements or automatic vacancy rules for councilmembers who miss consecutive sessions, the City of Austin does not regulate or mandate attendance for its elected city council members.
Without explicit charter provisions governing attendance or camera usage during remote voting, any real mechanism of accountability remains entirely in the hands of District 1 voters at the ballot box.
Meanwhile, Austin City Council plans to discuss a resolution calling for water conservation requirements and questioning nondisclosure practices from data centers. (Austin American-Statesman)
Bexar County authorities have busted up what they call a criminal organization allegedly responsible for a home invasion.
Portions of The Great Lawn at Zilker Park will be closed intermittently today for a fertilizer application.
Despite the ongoing ban, the Austin Police Department reported that individuals have continued to venture onto the water, prompting a public safety warning.
The emergency restriction covers Lake Austin, Lady Bird Lake, and parts of the Colorado River, and it is scheduled to remain in effect until 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 21.
Texas is on track to set new all-time electricity demand records this week, with ERCOT forecasting peaks exceeding the prior high of 85.5 GW daily and reaching 89 GW on Wednesday.
WEATHER
SUNDAY’S HIGH / LOW TEMPERATURES
AUSTIN-BERGSTROM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
CAMP MABRY
5-DAY FORECAST / AUSTIN, TEXAS
…DEPRESSION EXPECTED TO BECOME A TROPICAL STORM LATER TODAY… …TROPICAL STORM WATCH EXTENDED TO MISSISSIPPI/ALABAMA BORDER…
As floodwaters continue to recede across parts of South Central Texas, communities are shifting from emergency response to the long process of cleanup and recovery.
Gov. Greg Abbott is scheduled to visit Kerrville today to provide an update on the state’s response following last week’s deadly flooding, which devastated parts of the Hill Country.
The battle against the flesh-eating New World screwworm outbreak escalated Sunday in West Texas after agricultural officials officially established a new quarantine zone following the detection of the parasite in a local sheep.
The newly designated infested zone expands aggressively across the region, swallowing up portions of both Schleicher and Sutton counties as authorities scramble to halt the spread of the devastating pest.
Under the emergency order, strict movement restrictions are now in effect for all warm-blooded animals leaving the designated zones to safeguard the state’s multi-billion dollar livestock industry.
KVUE-TV’s TEXAS THIS WEEK
The new president of the Texas State Teachers Association explains that her primary focus is increasing voter turnout among teachers for the upcoming November election to ensure the election of candidates who support public education. She also addresses the TSTA’s ongoing opposition to school vouchers.
At a moment when inflation and affordability are on virtually everyone’s mind in America, Jamieson Greer, the U.S. trade representative, said the Trump administration was planning a new slate of tariffs.
Ana Swanson, who covers international trade for The New York Times and spoke to Mr. Greer, explains why he thinks the policy has been a success.
James Talarico has accepted three invitations from TV operators to engage in debate with Ken Paxton, while the Paxton camp agrees that debates “should” happen, but has not confirmed any of those dates.
Texas Senate debates have not favored challengers or underdogs in the last few cycles, as evidenced by Beto O’Rourke and Colin Allred against Ted Cruz.
Governor Abbott has bypassed Nate Schatzline for Secretary of State, appointing instead longtime aide Robert Howden – Schatzline remains as a “special advisor on elections”
Williamson County elections officials, dominated by Republicans, have begun accusing voters of being felons and threatening to kick them off the voter rolls if they can’t prove otherwise within 30 days.
Houston saw a major demonstration for accountability in the death of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo yesterday.
Just as the FBI has been told not to investigate public confrontations with ICE, and to allow the Department of Homeland Security to investigate itself instead.
This week’s program focuses on the first major test of the flood safety changes put in place after last year’s devastating Hill Country floods.
(Episode from July 19, 2026)
Over 100 federal border buoys broke loose in the flooded Rio Grande on Thursday, drifting from Quemado toward Eagle Pass and forcing a temporary closure of two international bridges to Mexico.
While no injuries or bridge damage were reported, Texas Rep. Eddie Morales Jr. confirmed that state emergency management (TDEM) resources and personnel have been requested to help federal contractors retrieve the drifting barriers. (Texas Public Radio)
North Texas is growing and Dallas’ financial sector is booming. But the city is losing residents and businesses — and two major sports franchises are departing the urban core.
The Texas Tribune goes in-depth.
SpaceX could launch its Starship rocket this Thursday in Texas – it would be the 13th test flight.
Hundreds of protestors gathered in a Houston park Sunday afternoon to demand transparency and accountability for the killing of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, who was shot and killed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on July 7.
Protest organizers called off the planned march just thirty minutes before it was scheduled to begin due to the extreme heat and humidity, but many stayed. (Houston Public Media)
Spain has been crowned World Cup champion, bringing one of the biggest sporting events in the world to a memorable close.
As the tournament wraps up, so do the celebrations across North Texas, where fans from around the globe gathered to cheer on their teams.
SPORTS
2026 FIFA WORLD CUP: After 39 days, it all belongs to Spain.
Ferran Torres clinched Spain’s second men’s World Cup title with an extra-time winner against reigning world champions Argentina in a bad-tempered final marred by Enzo Fernández’s red card for a reckless foul on Pau Cubarsí.
MLB: Rough day for Texas baseball Sunday.
The Rangers dropped the series finale in Atlanta, falling 8-5 to the Braves on Sunday afternoon, while the Astros were shut down at home, losing 5-2 to the Baltimore Orioles to get swept in their three-game set.
The Astros are 4-9 in their last 13 games.
Both clubs open new series tonight: the Rangers host the Chicago White Sox at 7:05 p.m. CDT at Globe Life Field, and the Astros welcome the Miami Marlins to Minute Maid Park at 7:10 p.m. CDT.
AL WEST STANDINGS
COLLEGE FOOTBALL: The Texas Longhorns gear up for SEC Media Days with major summer workout updates—can Jonah Williams’ return and Arch Manning’s rising confidence set the tone for a championship run?
NFL: Are the Cowboys built for a Super Bowl run?
Following the attack of Pearl Harbor, the US Navy awarded shipbuilding contracts to shipbuilding yards in Orange, Texas. The population grew from 6,000 to more than 70,000 in a matter of months as workers flooded the city in search of employment.
