Tropical Storm Bertha slowly churns near Florida, Extreme Heat Warning issued for Southeast Texas

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Extreme heat, severe storms, and Tropical Storm Bertha could all impact Houston over the next couple of days, and our weather team has issued an ABC13 Weather Watch for both Wednesday and Thursday.

Before we get a chance of rain from Bertha, we have to make it through a dangerously hot afternoon Wednesday. The heat dome steering Bertha toward Louisiana is also pushing our highs into extremely hot territory, even by our standards.

The National Weather Service has issued an Extreme Heat Warning for Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. as the air temperature peaks near 105 degrees with a heat index near 115 degrees. This is not our typical summer heat, and all precautions should be taken to avoid heat exhaustion and heat stroke on Wednesday for those who have to be outside. Stay well hydrated, take frequent breaks in the shade if you have to work outside, and wear light colored clothing.

Near the peak heat of the day, a band of moist air rotating around Bertha will produced scattered thunderstorms that could pack severe wind gusts over 60 mph. This storms will quickly blow in during the evening from the northeast and depart overnight.

A Tropical Storm Watch has been issued along the coast. The following areas are included in the watch: Galveston Island, Bolivar Peninsula, Coastal Galveston, Chambers, Coastal Brazoria, and Brazoria Islands.

When could we get rain from Tropical Storm Bertha?

That band of moisture swirling around Bertha's circulation will be the first opportunity Wednesday evening. After that, there is a chance of scattered tropical downpours Thursday and to a lesser extent Friday from whatever remains of Bertha's moisture and circulation. At this time we are expecting an inch or less of rain, if you get any at all.

Will Bertha bring us any tropical storm winds?

It's possible but unlikely at this time. The current odds of tropical storm force winds in Houston is barely 5%, but it climbs to just over 20% in Galveston. We'll have to wait and see how long it stays over Louisiana on Wednesday to get a better feel for whether or not we'll get any notable winds from what's left of Bertha on Thursday.

What should we expect for the weekend?

Any moisture from Tropical Storm Bertha will be long gone, so rain chances will hover near 10% as highs heat back into the upper 90s.

What else are you tracking in the tropics?

Our focus right now is on the Gulf and Bertha as there are no other tropical threats at this time. Visit our Tropical Update page for a more in-depth tropical weather discussion and forecast.

13 ALERT RADAR MAPS:
Southeast Texas
Houston
Harris County
Galveston County
Montgomery/Walker/San Jacinto/Polk/Grimes Counties
Fort Bend/Wharton/Colorado Counties
Brazoria/Matagorda Counties

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