Houston could see rain next week

A tropical disturbance brewing off the coast of Texas could bring rain to Houston as soon as next week, meteorologists say.

Driving the news: As unbearable heat continues to grip the Houston region, meteorologists are watching the system develop over hotter-than-ever Gulf waters.

• It has a 20% chance of developing into a tropical depression over the next seven days, per the National Hurricane Center.

Why it matters: While the prospect of a tropical weather system is daunting, it could bring some much-needed relief to the drought-stricken Lone Star State.

What they're saying: There's still a lot of uncertainty about the tropical system and what it can do, according to Space City Weather's Eric Berger.

• "This is one of those August systems that is going to bring some beneficial rain to somewhere," Berger wrote in Space City Weather. "The real question is whether that somewhere is Southern Texas and Northern Mexico, the Central Texas coast, or the Upper Texas coast and Louisiana."

Also: Forecasters are also monitoring two other disturbances farther out in the Atlantic Ocean, each with a 40% to 50% chance of development.

Meanwhile, the Houston region has been breaking heat records left and right, according to the National Weather Service.

• Most notably, Tuesday saw the hottest day on record at Bush Intercontinental Airport at 105° and Hobby Airport at 104°.
• College Station also recorded a record-high overnight temperature Tuesday.

The latest: Harris County has recorded at least 15 heat-related deaths since the beginning of the year, all within the last two months.

The bottom line: Now's a good time to prepare for a possible hurricane.