Tropical Storm Bertha closes in on a Wednesday night landfall in coastal Louisiana, with tropical storm warnings from the Florida Panhandle to the Terrebonne and Lafourche Parish line, 2 to 4 feet of surge possible near the mouth of the Mississippi River, and Louisiana’s State Emergency Operations Center on 24 hour operations. The nation holds at wildfire Preparedness Level 5 with 74 large fires, led by major evacuations in central Oregon and dozens of new lightning starts in northwest Montana. CISA adds four actively exploited vulnerabilities to its KEV catalog, the Northeast cleans up after tornado-watch storms that canceled more than 2,000 flights, extreme heat blankets Texas and Oklahoma, and the State Department issues a Worldwide Caution for U.S. travelers. EM Morning Brief is your concise daily update on national and state-by-state emergency management news. Produced by Sitch Radio, an EOC Voices podcast.

Key Takeaways

• Tropical Storm Bertha: Landfall expected Wednesday night in coastal Louisiana southeast of New Orleans; tropical storm warnings from the Florida Panhandle to Terrebonne and Lafourche Parish; 2 to 4 feet of surge possible; Louisiana SEOC on 24 hour operations.

• Wildfire: Nation holds at Preparedness Level 5 with 74 large fires and nearly 19,400 personnel; evacuation orders in effect on central Oregon’s Coyote and Henry fires; lightning sparked dozens of new starts in northwest Montana.

• Cyber: CISA added four vulnerabilities to the KEV catalog on July 21, including two WordPress Core flaws; prioritize patching.

• Northeast severe weather: Tuesday’s storms put 29 million people under a tornado watch, flooded I-95 corridor roadways, and canceled more than 2,000 flights; cleanup and residual delays continue.

• Extreme heat: Extreme Heat Warnings cover much of North and Central Texas with heat indices to 115; Oklahoma faces heat alerts most of the week.

• Travel: State Department Worldwide Caution in effect for U.S. travelers citing Middle East tensions; overseas travelers should enroll in STEP.

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Sources

Tropical Storm Bertha

• NHC Public Advisory 9: Tropical Storm Bertha watches, warnings, surge and rainfall forecast

• AP via ABC News: Beaches closed and sandbags filled as Bertha approaches the Gulf Coast

• NPR via WWNO: Bertha moves along the Gulf Coast, damage expected to be limited

Wildfire

• NIFC Incident Management Situation Report: National situation report for July 21, 2026

• NIFC National Fire News: Daily national fire activity summary

• Capital Press: Wildfire officials max out preparedness level as activity jumps

CISA

• CISA Alert: CISA adds four Known Exploited Vulnerabilities to catalog, July 21, 2026

USGS Volcanoes

• USGS Alaska Volcano Observatory: Great Sitkin daily update, July 21, 2026

• USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory: Kilauea volcano updates

Travel advisories

• U.S. Department of State: Worldwide Caution for U.S. travelers

• UPI: State Department issues worldwide travel warning for Americans

FEMA

• FEMA Press Releases: Disaster Recovery Center opening in Avoyelles Parish and other July 21 announcements

Northeast severe weather

• ABC News: Over 2,000 flights canceled as severe storms hit Northeast

Heat

• NWS Fort Worth/Dallas: Extreme Heat Warning for North and Central Texas

• Houston Public Media: Houston and Southeast Texas face dangerously high heat

• KENS 5: Extreme heat to grip South Texas on Wednesday

• KOKH Oklahoma City: Heat alerts expected most days this week in Oklahoma

Arizona

• NWS Tucson: Monsoon thunderstorms and flash flood risk in southeast Arizona

Alabama

• Alabama Public Radio: Mobile and Eastern Shore brace for the effects of Tropical Storm Bertha

Florida

• WCJB: Lawtey under boil water notice after chlorine system issue

Louisiana

• GOHSEP News: State Emergency Operations Center activity and Bertha preparedness

• KATC: State Emergency Operations Center activated for Tropical Storm Bertha

Montana

• The Western News: Lightning strikes spur fire crews into action in northwest Montana

Oregon

• Central Oregon Fire Information: Coyote, Henry, Pilot, Connant and Crooked fires update, July 21, 2026

• Central Oregon Fire Information: Brewer and Box Springs fires update, July 21, 2026

Good morning.

Tropical Storm Bertha leads the day as of early Wednesday.

Bertha is centered about 75 miles east of the mouth of the Mississippi river, moving west at 6 mph with maximum sustained winds near 50 mph.

A tropical storm warning covers the northern Gulf coast from the Bay and Gulf county line in Florida to the Terrebonne and laforche Parish line in Louisiana, and a tropical storm watch extends west to the Vermilion and Cameron Parish line and covers metropolitan New Orleans, Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Maurepas.

Forecasters expect landfall Wednesday night in lightly populated coastal Louisiana southeast of New Orleans.

Storm surge of 2 to 4ft is possible from the mouth of the Mississippi river to to the Mississippi and Alabama border with 2 to 4 inches of rain, isolated totals near 6 inches and isolated flash flooding along the central Gulf coast through Thursday.

Louisiana's State Emergency Operations center is running 24 hour operations.

The nation holds at preparedness level 5, the highest level, with 74 large fires burning and nearly 19,400 personnel assigned.

The heaviest activity is in the Northwest, where lightning continues to spark new starts in Oregon and Montana.

In Cyber, CISA adds four vulnerabilities to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, including two WordPress core flaws, a langflow vulnerability and a DD WRT buffer overflow network.

Defenders should prioritize remediation.

The Northeast cleans up after Tuesday's severe weather, which put more than 29 million people across Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Connecticut under a tornado watch, flooded roadways along the Interstate 95 corridor and canceled more than 2,000 flights with New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. airport's hardest hit.

Dangerous heat continues over the Southern Plains and Southeast, with extreme heat warnings across much of north and Central Texas and heat index values up to 115 degrees.

The State Department has issued a worldwide caution for US travelers, citing rising conflict in the Middle east and the potential for unforeseen escalation.

Official update published 40 hours ago.

Americans overseas are urged to enroll in the STEP program for security alerts.

Let's run through the states.

Alabama the tropical storm warning includes the Alabama coast and Mobile and the Eastern Shore are bracing for wind, rain and 1 to 3ft of surge between the Mississippi and Florida borders.

Communities are distributing sandbags and double red flags are flying along Gulf beaches, closing the water to swimmers.

Alaska A slow eruption of lava continues within the summit crater at Great Sitkin volcano in the Aleutians.

The volcano alert level holds at watch and the aviation color code at orange with minor earthquakes detected over the past day.

Arizona Monsoon thunderstorms continue across the southeast part of the state.

A flash flood watch covered Cochise, Graham, Greenlee and Santa Cruz counties into Tuesday night with storms capable of dropping 1 to 3 inches of rain.

Locally.

Monsoon moisture remains in place through midweek.

Florida the Panhandle sits at the eastern end of the tropical storm warning from the Bay and Gulf county line westward with 1 to 3ft of surge possible from Indian Pass to the Ocilla river and beaches closed to swimming.

Separately, the city of Laudee in Bradford county is under a precautionary boil water notice after a chlorine system malfunction.

The system has been repaired and the notice stays in place until testing confirms the water is safe.

Hawaii the Halemaumau eruption at Kilauea remains paused.

The volcano holds at advisory an aviation color code yellow and USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists expect the next lava fountaining episode between July 25 and July 29.

Louisiana has activated the State Emergency Operations center on 24 hour operations and is holding coordination calls with parish emergency directors ahead of Bertha's expected landfall Wednesday night southeast of New Orleans.

Governor Landry is scheduled to give an update Wednesday afternoon.

The tropical storm warning runs east of the Terrebonne and La Forche parish line.

The watch extends west to the Vermillion and Cameron Parish line and includes metropolitan New Orleans and a coastal flood warning covers the southeastern coastline where 2 to 4ft of surge is possible near the mouth of the Mississippi River.

Separately, FEMA opened a disaster recovery center in Avoyell Parish to help residents continue recovery from Tropical Storm Arthur, which struck June 17th and 18th.

Mississippi A coastal flood warning is in effect for the Mississippi coastline, with 1 to 3ft of surge possible from the state line to the Alabama border and higher water to the west.

Local authorities have opened sandbag distribution sites and beaches are flying double red flags.

Montana Fire season has arrived in force in the northwest part of the state after hundreds of lightning strikes spawned dozens of new fires.

Lincoln county took the bulk of the strikes, with additional lightning caused starts in Sanders, Minerals and Flathead counties.

Crews are working aggressive initial attack.

NEW Jersey Tuesday's storms flooded roadways in Bergen county and other suburbs with rain rates of 2 to 3 inches per hour in parts of the state.

The tornado watch has expired and cleanup continues Wednesday.

NEW YORK Flash flooding hit the New York City suburbs Tuesday, including Westchester county and New York City area airports led the nation in flight cancellations.

The tornado watch covering the region has expired and residual travel disruption is possible into Wednesday.

OKLAHOMA A large dome of high pressure keeps Temperatures near 100 degrees with heat indices approaching 110.

Heat advisories and extreme heat warnings are expected across the state on most days this week.

Check on neighbors, hydrate and limit outdoor work during peak afternoon hours.

OREGON Central Oregon remains the nation's busiest fire theater.

The Coyote Fire stands at 16,688 acres and 15% containment and the Henry Fire at 14,335 acres and 10% containment.

With evacuation orders in effect for multiple zones.

Level 1, 2 and 3 evacuations are also in effect for the Brewer and Box Springs fires.

Tuesday's severe weather brought a tornado watch and flash flooding risk to the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh regions, and Philadelphia International was among the hardest hit.

Airports for cancellations, storm cleanup and residual travel.

Delays continue Wednesday an extreme heat warning covers most of north and central Texas with heat index values up to 115 degrees.

Houston and Southeast Texas are under a heat advisory and extreme heat grips South Texas on Wednesday.

Emergency managers are also watching Bertha, which could bring a second landfall to the upper Texas coast later this week.

All other states and territories have no significant updates in the last 24 hours.

That wraps today's EM Morning Brief.

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