NU Online News Service, July 18, 11:11 a.m. EST

Both the U.S. and Japan face strengthening tropical storms, but while modelers predict the U.S. will escape a land-falling event, Japan may not be as lucky.

In the U.S., Tropical Storm Bret formed on Sunday, July 18, first as a tropical depression off the east coast of Florida, then strengthening shortly after to become the second named storm of the Atlantic storm season.

Tropical Storm Bret The National Hurricane Center reports wind speeds as high as 50 mph, and the storm is expected to intensify for the next 36 hours, but is expected to remain at tropical-storm strength.

Tropical Storm Bret will track up and away from the U.S. East Coast over the next two days and isn’t expected to pose much of a risk for landfall, according to Risk Management Services (RMS). However, RMS notes that there is still a high degree of uncertainty about the storm’s potential for intensification and the track it will ultimately take. Moderate rainfall will likely affect the Bahamas today, bringing total rain accumulations of 2-4 inches.

Meanwhile, in the Pacific, Japan faces a more serious risk with Typhoon Ma-on, which formed on Friday, July 15, as the fifth named storm of the West Pacific typhoon season.

Typhoon Ma-on Guy Carpenter reports that since forming, the storm’s wind speeds have strengthened to 98 mph, making it a Category 2 typhoon. The storm is expected to strengthen a bit more and skirt or hit Japan’s main island of Honshu within the next day or two, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC). Currently, JTWC says tropical storm-force winds extend 220 miles from the center of the storm.

Guy Carpenter’s report says that although there is significant uncertainty associated with Ma-on’s long term forecast track, the storm is currently expected to take a more easterly track after passing Chugoku Prefecture and bring tropical storm-force winds and heavy rain to Tokyo and other southern areas.

Special Reports /

Tropical Storm Bret Poses Small Risk to U.S.; Typhoon Threatens Japan

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