KEY TAKEAWAYS: Tropical Storm Bertha is forecast to make landfall Wednesday in eastern Plaquemines Parish. Rain and gusty winds are expected to reach southeast Louisiana beginning late Tuesday. Tropical storm warnings and watches remain in effect along portions of the Gulf Coast. A heat adviso ry Tuesday could bring heat index values above 110 degrees across southeast Louisiana.   Preparations continue in Southeast Louisiana ahead of Tropical Storm Bertha, which is expected to bring rain and wind to coastal area starting late Tuesday. At the moment, the heaviest rains  are expected to fall well offshore, though forecasters say the public should remain alert in case the storm changes course. The 7 a.m. advisory from the National Hurricane Center predicts Bertha will make landfall Wednesday morning on the eastern side of Plaquemines Parish and then jog southwest before skirting along the Louisiana coast. As of 7 a.m., Bertha was located 175 miles southeast of Mobile, Alabama, and moving northwest at 5 mph. Its maximum sustained winds were 50 mph. Tropical storm-force winds extend up to 80 miles away from the storm’s center, according to the National Hurricane Center A tropical storm warning is in effect from the Alabama-Florida border to the Jefferson-Plaquemines parish line. A storm surge watch is in effect from the Alabama-Florida line to the mouth of the Mississippi River. The metropolitan New Orleans area, along with Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Maurepas, are under a tropical storm watch. More pressing for Southeast Louisiana is a heat advisory in effect from noon to 7 p.m. Tuesday. Heat indices, or the “feels-like” temperature are expected to surpass 11o degrees. ...read more read less