While Potential Tropical Cyclone Three has tropical storm force winds, the National Hurricane Center says as of 4:00 p.m., the system is still not organized enough into a cyclone to be designated a tropical storm.
Forecasters say the system is still likely to become Tropical Storm Claudette before the system gets over land and begins to weaken.
"Although the disturbance has wind speeds of tropical storm intensity, it has not been named a tropical storm yet since its center is ill defined and broad as evident in the Air Force Hurricane Hunter data and surface observations," said Nation Hurricane Center Senior Hurricane Specialist John Cangialosi.
The system's strongest winds, around 45 miles an hour, are well to the east of the ill-defined center.
"A general north to north-northeast motion is expected through landfall, which is likely to occur overnight or early Saturday morning," said Cangialosi. "After the system moves inland, a turn to the northeast and then east-northeast across the southeast U.S. is predicted."
