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

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

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

The National Hurricane Center reportswind speeds as high as 50 mph, and the storm is expected tointensify for the next 36 hours, but is expected to remain attropical-storm strength.

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

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

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

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