Tropical Storm Bertha formed in the eastern Gulf and is forecast to move northwest, with its circulation not expected to reach southeast Texas until Friday.
Houston currently faces mainly a rain threat, with forecasters putting storm chances at 30% for Thursday and Friday and describing overall impacts as minimal for now.
Florida's Panhandle is seeing the earliest effects, while tropical storm watches and warnings extend westward along the Gulf Coast to Louisiana.
Bertha may still produce isolated heavy rain, but current forecast models show little widespread precipitation in Houston, keeping the flood threat low unless the track or rain bands strengthen.