Tropical storm Irma strengthening over far eastern Atlantic

Tropical storm Irma is steadily intensifying over the far eastern Atlantic and is expected to become a hurricane by Thursday or Friday, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its latest advisory on Wednesday.

The storm is located about 480 miles (770 km) west of Cape Verde Islands and is packing maximum sustained winds of 60 miles per hour (95 km/h), the NHC said.

“There are no coastal watches or warnings in effect,” the Miami-based weather forecaster added.

Harvey moves into Louisiana, with at least 25 dead, 17 missing
Tropical Storm Harvey spun across southeastern Texas into Louisiana on Wednesday, sending more people fleeing for shelter after swamping Houston with record rains and flooding that killed at least 25 and drove tens of thousands from their homes.

The slow-moving storm has forced 32,000 people to seek shelter since coming ashore on Friday near Corpus Christi, Texas, as the most powerful hurricane to hit Texas in more than half a century. On Wednesday, it pummeled a stretch of coast from Port Arthur, Texas, to Lake Charles, Louisiana.

Among the latest deaths reported were two people who drowned while driving through high water near Simonton, Texas, 40 miles (64 km) west of Houston, Major Chad Norvell of the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office said on Twitter.

Houston's KHOU-TV reported that an infant girl was swept away by floodwaters as her parents were driving from Houston toward Louisiana on Highway 150. Police in Harris County, home to Houston, said 17 people remained missing.

source: Alarabiya