Tropical Storm Bertha drifts toward land as Hurricane Fausto forms in the eastern Pacific

The slow-moving storm is expected to unleash heavy rain on coastal areas of northern Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana as it pushes west toward Texas.

NEW ORLEANS — Tropical Storm Bertha formed Monday evening in the Gulf of Mexico south of the Florida Panhandle as it drifts erratically toward populated coastal areas bearing a threat of heavy rain, storm surge and damaging wind gusts, forecasters say.

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Meanwhile, in the eastern Pacific Ocean, Hurricane Fausto formed far from Mexico’s Baja California peninsula and posed no threat to land Monday night.

The center of Bertha was located about 140 miles south of Panama City, Florida, in the northern Gulf. Maximum sustained winds were around 40 mph, and some additional strengthening is expected as the storm approaches land, according to the Miami-based National Hurricane Center.