Tropical Storm Fred, masks in Florida schools, Perseid meteor shower: 5 things to know Wednesday

Editors
·5 min read

Tropical Storm Fred forms; island territories, nations expected to feel impact

A disturbance swirling in the Caribbean became Tropical Storm Fred late Tuesday and was just south of Puerto Rico early Wednesday heading for the Dominican Republic, Haiti and the Bahamas. Forecasters warned that its heavy rains could cause dangerous flooding and mudslides. "I am not going to minimize the potential impact of this event ... we expect a lot of rain," Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi said. Fred, the sixth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, could intensify once it reaches the waters south of Florida or the eastern Gulf of Mexico by this weekend, forecasters said. People in Florida were urged to monitor updates, but forecasters also said it remained uncertain where the storm would move later in the week. There have been no named storms since Hurricane Elsa dissipated early in July, but this time of summer usually marks the start of the peak of hurricane season.

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Florida county to begin mask mandate in schools, defying Gov. DeSantis

Leon County Schools Superintendent Rocky Hanna said in a livestreamed announcement Tuesday that children from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade will be required to wear masks when classes resume in Florida's capital of Tallahassee Wednesday. The order defies Gov. Ron DeSantis' attempts to block schools from imposing such a mandate. Though the county mandate allows some exemptions for students, it doesn't give parents the authority to opt out, as DeSantis wanted. The governor's office responded by saying the state's Board of Education could move to withhold salaries from the superintendent or school board members. Several other Florida counties – including Broward, Duval, Hillsborough, Orange and Palm Beach – are also defying DeSantis' order. White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Tuesday the Biden administration is looking at whether it can use unspent COVID-19 relief funds to combat pay cuts DeSantis imposes.

Want to see 'fireballs' light up the sky? Catch the Perseid meteor shower

Look up, the best meteor shower of the year begins Wednesday, and will peak Aug. 11 to 13. The Perseid shower, known for its bright, long streaks of light and dazzling "fireballs," will continue through Aug. 24.Luckily for people in the United States, the shower is more visible in the Northern Hemisphere. However, it does require staying up late, and a clear view of the sky. The Perseid shower is best seen at about 2 a.m. local time, but can be visible as early as 9 p.m. Discovered in 1862 by Lewis Swift and Horace Tuttle, the shower originates from Earth entering the orbit of debris from the comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, which takes 133 years to orbit the sun. At its peak, up to 100 meteors an hour can be seen in the night sky.

Samsung may soon 'unfold' plans for new flip smartphones

Samsung wants you to "get ready to unfold." The electronics company is expected to unveil new flip and foldable phones at its online "Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked: Get Ready to Unfold" event on Wednesday . Its website teases: "For the past decade and more, we’ve seen smartphone innovations change our daily lives. Why change a good thing? ... We're about to give you better." Samsung's first foldable phone, the Galaxy Fold, came to market in September 2019. Its Galaxy Z Flip smartphone launched in February 2020, and was followed by the Galaxy Z Flip 5G in August 2020. Consumers interested in getting early dibs on the electronics giant's next flagship device can go to Samsung's Reserve Now site to get in line for an exclusive pre-order offer.

Marvel is asking, 'What if?'

Move over, Steve Rogers. Peggy Carter's the captain now. Marvel's new animated "What If...?" series, premiering on Disney+ Wednesday, reimagines key characters, storylines and scenarios in its cinematic universe. For example: The first of nine weekly episodes takes fans back to "Captain America: The First Avenger" and explains what would have happened had British intelligence agent Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) received the super-soldier serum in 1942 instead of Army soldier Rogers (Chris Evans). The show also features the late Chadwick Boseman in his final performance as T'Challa. Other series appearances include, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and many others.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tropical Storm Fred, masks in Florida, Perseid: 5 things to know Wednesday

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