Tropical Storm Arlene (1959)
| Tropical storm (SSHWS/NWS) | |
Weather map depicting Tropical Storm Arlene off the coast of Louisiana on May 30
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| Formed | May 28, 1959 |
|---|---|
| Dissipated | May 31, 1959 |
| Highest winds |
1-minute sustained: 60 mph (95 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 1000 mbar (hPa); 29.53 inHg |
| Fatalities | 1 indirect |
| Damage | $500,000 (1959 USD) |
| Areas affected | Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina |
| Part of the 1959 Atlantic hurricane season | |
Tropical Storm Arlene was a short lived, pre-season tropical storm which made landfall on the central Louisiana coastline on May 30, 1959, causing minor damages and one fatality. Arlene developed out of a tropical wave which was first noted near the Dominican Republic on May 23. Development of the system was slow before it gained enough convection to be declared Tropical Storm Arlene on May 28. The storm slowly intensified and reached its peak intensity of 60 mph (95 km/h) on May 30. Rapid weakening took place as the storm neared land and Arlene made landfall with winds of 45 mph (75 km/h) later that night. Arlene weakened to what is now classified as a Tropical Depression early the next morning. The system degenerated into a remnant low on the afternoon of May 31 and fully dissipated late on June 2 while located over South Carolina.
Arlene dropped heavy rains totaling over 1 ft (0.30 m) in localized areas as it moved into the Southeast United States. The maximum rainfall amount was 13.55 in (344 mm), recorded in Merrill, Mississippi, over a three-day period. The heavy rains caused minor flooding in Louisiana and property damage from the storm amounted to $500,000 ($3.7 million 2008 USD). One death was indirectly attributed to the storm when a man drowned in rough surf off the Texas coast.
Tropical Storm Arlene developed out of a tropical wave which was first noted near the Dominican Republic on May 23. The wave slowly developed as it moved westward through the Caribbean Sea and developed into an area of low pressure on May 25. By May 27, the low entered the Gulf of Mexico and a ship report the next day showed that the low had developed a closed low-level circulation. Early the next morning, the low was determined to have intensified into Tropical Storm Arlene, the first storm of the season, while located 300 mi (480 km) south-southeast of New Orleans, Louisiana with winds estimated at 40 mph (65 km/h). Arlene was moving towards the northwest at 10 to 15 mph (16 to 24 km/h). Arlene slowly intensified throughout the day as it continued towards the northwest at 12 to 15 mph (19 to 24 km/h). On May 29, Arlene turned towards the west and its foreword motion slowed before becoming nearly stationary that night.
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