Bloomberg — Tropical Storm Bret formed in the Atlantic with 40-miles-per-hour winds on Tuesday morning.
As of 5 a.m. ET, Bret was 1,130 miles east of the southern Windward Islands in the Caribbean and moving west. It will reach hurricane strength by Thursday as it approaches the islands but then wind shear and dry air will likely weaken it, dropping it back to a tropical storm, if the forecast holds.
There is a danger in thinking it’s only a tropical storm. In 2015, the World Meteorological Organization retired the name Erika, which was a tropical storm, but still killed more than 30 people and caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage mainly on the Caribbean Island of Dominica. Tropical storms aren’t to be trifled with.
In the US, excessive heat warnings continue across Texas. Actual temperatures in Houston Tuesday and Wednesday will reach 100F. The heat index will hit 115F Tuesday in Houston, according to the National Weather Service. Overnight lows will be 81F.
In Dallas the actual temperature is forecast to reach 100F Tuesday with a heat index of 117F, the weather service said. Temperatures in the city might drop to the mid 90s by Thursday and Friday but they will rise again by the weekend.
“There is not let up in sight, it is going right through the week,” said Bob Oravec, senior branch forecaster at the US Weather Prediction Center. There is also little chance for rain in Texas.
Smoke: Canadian wildfire smoke is still spreading over parts of North America. Moderate air conditions continue across the US Midwest and Mid Atlantic.
India: India’s federal government will send teams to assist and advise heat-affected states, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Tuesday, as local authorities and hospitals in the country’s north and east grapple with sweltering temperatures.
China: The country is bracing for more extreme weather in coming days, bringing further risks to grain production across the nation. While high temperatures in northern areas could affect corn planting and harm wheat crops, heavy rains are likely to hurt rice in key southern growing regions, according to a report from the National Meteorological Center.
Europe: The hot weather blanketing parts of northern Europe is set to ease next week, with temperatures in Frankfurt and Amsterdam returning to their normal levels for this time of year, according to forecaster Maxar.
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