While the system known as Potential Tropical Cyclone 3 has yet to organize itself enough to earn the name Claudette, parts of the central Gulf Coast were experiencing tropical storm conditions Friday as it crept closer to land.
The National Hurricane Center on Friday morning extended its tropical-storm warning into Florida, now running from Morgan City, La. to the Okaloosa-Walton county line, the NHC said. The warning also includes Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas, and Metropolitan New Orleans to the west.
PTC 3 is better organized and is expected to become a tropical or subtropical storm before landfall late Friday night or early Saturday and then turn northeast, said the NHC in its 11 p.m. update. Its maximum sustained winds are at 45 mph.
“Tropical storm conditions have begun along portions of the central Gulf Coast from east of Morgan City, Louisiana, to the Okaloosa/Walton County line, Florida, including New Orleans. These winds will spread inland and continue into Saturday,” the NHC said.
The storm hasn’t quite organized itself well enough to be classified as a tropical storm, which is why the NHC has dubbed it PTC 3, Spectrum News 13 Meteorologist, David Heckard.
“It’s kind of like baking a cake,” Heckard said. “The cake isn’t done, but we are baking a cake.”
The PTC designation was made to give coastal residents plenty of time to prepare, prior to the storm’s arrival, Heckard said. The system hasn’t quite organized into the circulation usually observed with tropical storms.
“That’s pretty typical of June storms,” Heckard said. “This is almost a textbook case for what we typically see in June. Sea-surface temperatures are not warm enough just yet, and systems have a tough time organizing themselves in June.”
But PTC 3 is expected to organize prior to landfall along the U.S. Gulf Coast early Saturday. If it does, it will be the third named storm of the year, Claudette.
The system has a slightly diminished 80% chance of developing into a tropical storm within the next 48 hours, and the chances remain the same through the next five days. The system will approach the north-central Gulf Coast early Saturday and turn northeast after landfall.
As of 11 p.m. Friday, the system was located 60 miles south-southeast of Morgan City, La. and 210 miles southwest of Mobile, Ala. while moving north at 13 mph. Tropical storm force winds extend up to 205 miles.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards late Thursday issued a state of emergency due to the potential weather threats, according to The Associated Press. The move is an administrative step that authorizes the use of state resources to aid in storm response efforts.
Rainfall totals could fall between 5 and 10 inches and as high as 15 inches in some areas starting Friday, the NHC said.
The NHC warned of flash, urban and small stream flooding as a result of the heavy rainfall and said river flooding could occur as the storm hits areas with elevated rivers. Tropical storm conditions, including high winds, are expected to continue along the coasts in the storm’s path through Saturday, the NHC said.
Tornadoes could occur across coastal areas of Louisiana through Saturday, and the western Panhandle of Florida, alongside southern areas of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia, could see tornadic activity Saturday.
Storm surge could reach 2 to 3 feet from Morgan City, La. to the Okaloosa/Walton County Line in Florida and at Lake Borgne and Mobile Bay. Other areas of Louisiana, from Cameron to Intracoastal City and Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Maurepas, and the area between the Mississippi/Alabama and Alabama/Florida borders could see between 1 and 2 feet of storm surge, the NHC said.
Staff writer Katie Rice contributed to this report.
