Arlene Hurricane

Southern United States, June 8–13, 2005 

The first named tropical cyclone of the record-setting 2005 North Atlantic hurricane season, and the ninth tropical system to bear the name, a downgraded Hurricane Arlene washed ashore in southern Alabama on June 11, 2005 as a moderately powerful tropical storm. Formed three days earlier from a tropical low over the Gulf of Mexico, Arlene’s central pressure of 29.26 inches (991 mb) brought 52-MPH (84-km/h) winds to Alabama, damaging trees and small buildings, but claiming no lives or serious injuries.

The name Arlene is one of the oldest tropical cyclone identifiers still in use in the North Atlantic basin. First appearing in 1959, with a preseason tropical storm that originated in the Gulf of Mexico before winding ashore in southern Louisiana on May 31, it has since been used no fewer than eight times between 1963 and 2005. In 1963, a powerful Category 2 Hurricane Arlene originated in the Atlantic before brushing past the islands of the northern Caribbean Sea on August 4. At its peak bearing a central pressure of 28.61 inches (969 mb) and sustained, 104-MPH (167-km/h) winds, Arlene remained offshore for its entire existence, recurving northward off the U.S. east coast and causing widespread destruction in Bermuda.

The 1967 North Atlantic hurricane season opened with another Hurricane Arlene, this one of less meteorological severity than its 1963 incarnation. Originating very close to latitude 15 degrees North on August 28, Arlene developed into a Category 1 system with sustained winds of 86 MPH (138 km/h), then recurved to the north before finally dissipating over the chill reaches of the North Atlantic on September 4.

On July 4, 1971, Tropical Storm Arlene originated off the eastern seaboard of the United States, before trailing northward, remaining an offshore system until its dissipation four days later. At its height, Tropical Storm Arlene’s central pressure of 29.52 inches (1,000 mb) generated sustained winds of 63 MPH (105 km/h) and heavy surf conditions along the coast. A preseason North Atlantic tropical cyclone, the fifth tropical system christened Arlene developed on May 6, 1981, over the northwestern Caribbean Sea. Powered by a central pressure of 29.50 inches (999 mb) and producing 58-MPH (93-km/h) winds, Tropical Storm Arlene crossed Cuba and the Bahamas before penetrating deeply into the North Atlantic. While heavy rain and surf conditions were noted, no deaths or injuries ensued.

One of the longest-traveling North Atlantic tropical cyclones on record, Hurricane Arlene inaugurated the 1987 hurricane season with a sojourn across the Atlantic between August 9 and 17. At its peak a minimal Category 1 hurricane with sustained winds of 75 MPH (121 km/h) and a central pressure reading of 29.14 inches (987 mb), Arlene chiseled a bizarre path across the North Atlantic, one which saw it slide into the Iberian Peninsula as an extratropical depression on the night of August 16–17, 1987. On August 10, while still of tropical depression status, Arlene swept across the island of Hispaniola, its central pressure of 29.79 inches (1,009 mb) producing wind speeds near 23 MPH (37 km/h). While heavy rains fell across the island, no deaths or injuries were reported.

The seventh North Atlantic tropical cyclone dubbed Arlene—this one of tropical storm intensity— coursed through the Bay of Campeche and into southern Texas between June 18 and 21, 1993. Bearing a central pressure of 29.55 inches (1,001 mb) and sustained, 40-MPH (64-km/h) winds at landfall just above the Texas–Mexico border, Tropical Storm Arlene produced great quantities of rain, but claimed no lives or major damage tallies.

Between June 11 and 18, 1999, Tropical Storm Arlene quickly originated—and as quickly dissipated—to the east of Bermuda. With a minimum central pressure of 29.59 inches (1,000 mb) and sustained winds of 58 MPH (93 km/h), Arlene remained a moderately powerful tropical storm for its entire offshore existence, but caused no injuries or damages.

Due for its 10th incarnation during the 2011 North Atlantic hurricane season, the name Arlene has been retained on the rotating list of identifiers.