Tropical Storm Bertha impacting northern Gulf Coast. See forecast map and its path.

Tropical Storm Bertha is bringing rain to large swaths of the northern Gulf Coast on Wednesday, as its projected path sparked watches and warnings.Bertha is in the Gulf of Mexico and approaching the southeastern Louisiana coast, crawling westward "with little acceleration," the National Hurricane Center said. It is expected to impact coastal areas from the Florida Panhandle to Texas, including some major cities. Forecasters said the storm would move over the New Orleans area Wednesday night before continuing on toward Houston and then dissipating by the end of the week.Beaches were closed from Florida to Mississippi on Wednesday, as Bertha dispensed tropical-storm-force winds more than 100 miles outward from its center.Map shows projected pathBertha, the second named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, is forecast to stick close to the coast.