Tropical Storm Arlene was an unusually large and early-forming

tropical storm A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depen ...

, being the first of twenty-eight different storms during the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season, which would become the second most active season on record. Tropical Storm Arlene formed near Honduras on June 8 and moved northwards. It crossed western

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

on June 10 and strengthened to just under hurricane strength before making its final

landfall Landfall is the event of a storm moving over land after being over water. More broadly, and in relation to human travel, it refers to 'the first land that is reached or seen at the end of a journey across the sea or through the air, or the fact ...

on the

Florida Panhandle The Florida Panhandle (also West Florida and Northwest Florida) is the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Florida; it is a salient roughly long and wide, lying between Alabama on the north and the west, Georgia on the north, and the G ...

the next day. The storm weakened as it continued to move north over the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

, becoming extratropical on June 13. Arlene was responsible for two deaths and minor damage.

Meteorological history

Tropical Storm Arlene seemingly originated from the interaction between two

tropical wave A tropical wave (also called easterly wave, tropical easterly wave, and African easterly wave), in and around the Atlantic Ocean, is a type of atmospheric trough, an elongated area of relatively low air pressure, oriented north to south, which ...

s and the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) over the western Caribbean in early June 2005. The ITCZ, initially focused over

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

in the first days of the month, became more convective when the first wave arrived on June 5–6. Two days later, a stronger tropical wave moved through the western Caribbean, triggering

pressure Pressure (symbol: ''p'' or ''P'') is the force applied perpendicular to the surface of an object per unit area over which that force is distributed. Gauge pressure (also spelled ''gage'' pressure)The preferred spelling varies by country a ...

drops and the expansion of thunderstorm activity. The establishment of an upper-level

ridge A ridge or a mountain ridge is a geographical feature consisting of a chain of mountains or hills that form a continuous elevated crest for an extended distance. The sides of the ridge slope away from the narrow top on either side. The line ...

over this disturbance on June 8 led to a reduction in

wind shear Wind shear (or windshear), sometimes referred to as wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and/or direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere. Atmospheric wind shear is normally described as either vertical or horizon ...

. The system became increasingly organized and the

National Hurricane Center The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is the division of the United States' NOAA/ National Weather Service responsible for tracking and predicting tropical weather systems between the Prime Meridian and the 140th meridian west poleward to the 3 ...

(NHC) marked the formation of Tropical Depression One at 18:00 UTC with the cyclone's center situated northeast of Honduras. Hurricane Hunters investigating the system observed a poorly organized albeit closed circulation at this time with the strongest winds displaced to the north and east within banding features. The lopsided structure was the result of an upper-level

trough Trough may refer to: In science * Trough (geology), a long depression less steep than a trench * Trough (meteorology), an elongated region of low atmospheric pressure * Trough (physics), the lowest point on a wave * Trough level (medicine), th ...

over the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United S ...

. Weak steering currents pushed the system along a slow northward trajectory. Early on June 9, notably deep convection organized into curved bands and signaled the system's intensification into a tropical storm by 06:00 UTC while situated west-southwest of the Cayman Islands. At this time, the NHC assigned the name ''Arlene'' to the cyclone. The depression began to move northward toward western

later that day, but as it was a very large and poorly organized system under the influence of high wind shear, the official forecasts from the

emphasized that the route the storm would take was uncertain. Despite this uncertainty, the official forecasts were highly accurate in predicting the storm's track. As the shear dropped, the depression strengthened further and it became Tropical Storm Arlene on June 9. It produced precipitation over a very wide area; the Cayman Islands reported tropical storm-force winds and heavy rain over 150

statute mile The mile, sometimes the international mile or statute mile to distinguish it from other miles, is a British imperial unit and United States customary unit of distance; both are based on the older English unit of length equal to 5,280 Engli ...

s (240 km) east of the center. Arlene crossed the western tip of Cuba on the morning of June 10 with winds. Tropical Storm Arlene had an unusual structure throughout its life, with a large circulation containing numerous small centers rotating about a larger

gyre In oceanography, a gyre () is any large system of circulating ocean currents, particularly those involved with large wind movements. Gyres are caused by the Coriolis effect; planetary vorticity, horizontal friction and vertical friction determin ...

, as opposed to an inner convective core. Arlene then entered the

later that afternoon and strengthened further to its peak strength of . The official forecast at this time called for further intensification to minimal hurricane strength. This did not occur however and Arlene instead weakened as result of dry air entering the circulation. The storm made landfall just west of

Pensacola, Florida Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principa ...

in the afternoon of June 11 as a moderate tropical storm with winds of . As most of the convection of the storm was located north and east of the center, most of the effects of the storm were on land long before it made landfall. Arlene was the most intense landfalling June storm since

Hurricane Allison The name Allison has been used for three tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean, and the alternative spelling Alison has been used for two tropical cyclones in the Australian region of the Indian Ocean, one in the South-West Indian Ocean, and one i ...

hit the same location as a strong tropical storm during the 1995 season. Arlene weakened into a tropical depression later that day, but managed to persist as a tropical system as it moved north over the United States. The storm finally became extratropical on June 13 just northeast of Flint, Michigan and was absorbed by a larger system the next day.

Effects in the Caribbean

Arlene produced heavy rain across parts of Central America and the Cayman Islands during its developmental stages. Tropical storm warnings were briefly issued for the Cayman Islands on June 9. Meteorologists raised concerns over the possibility of flooding and mudslides in Honduras and Nicaragua. In

Campeche Campeche (; yua, Kaampech ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Campeche ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Campeche), is one of the 31 states which make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. Located in southeast Mexico, it is bordered by ...

, Mexico, heavy rain saturated soils and led to trees falling. One person was killed in the state and another was injured. Some flooding occurred in parts of

Campeche City San Francisco de Campeche (; yua, Ahk'ìin Pech, ), 19th c., also known simply as Campeche, is a city in Campeche Municipality in the state of Campeche, Mexico on the shore of the Bay of Campeche of the Gulf of Mexico. Both the seat of the munic ...

. Upon the formation of Tropical Depression One on June 8, a tropical storm watch was issued for western Cuba and was soon upgraded to a tropical storm warning the next day. On June 9, the stated that western parts of Cuba, particularly

Pinar del Río Province Pinar del Río is one of the provinces of Cuba. It is at the western end of the island of Cuba. Geography The Pinar del Río province is Cuba's westernmost province and contains one of Cuba's three main mountain ranges, the Cordillera de Guanig ...

, would see impacts from Arlene. Approximately 50,000 people were evacuated across Cuba in preparation for Arlene. Fishermen were ordered to return to port and secure their vessels. Between June 9 and 10, Tropical Storm Arlene produced heavy rains over western areas of Cuba, leading to school closures in several cities. The area impacted by the rainfall was previously suffering from a severe drought and moisture brought in by Arlene helped alleviate the dry conditions. Tropical storm-force winds buffeted communities in western Cuba, with sustained winds peaking at in

Punta del Este Punta del Este () is a seaside city and peninsula on the Atlantic Coast in the Maldonado Department of southeastern Uruguay. Starting as a small town, Punta del Este later became internationally known as a resort for the Latin and North American ...

Isla de la Juventud Isla de la Juventud (; en, Isle of Youth) is the second-largest Cuban island (after Cuba's mainland) and the seventh-largest island in the West Indies (after mainland Cuba itself, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Trinidad, and Andros Islan ...

. Rainfall reached a maximum of in

Pinar del Río Pinar del Río is the capital city of Pinar del Río Province, Cuba. With a population of 139,336 (2004) in a municipality of 190,332, it is the 10th-largest city in Cuba. Inhabitants of the area are called ''Pinareños''. History Pinar del R ...

on the mainland.

Effects in the United States

Preparations

While Arlene was over Cuba, a tropical storm watch was issued for the

Gulf Coast The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South, is the coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The coastal states that have a shoreline on the Gulf of Mexico are Texas, Louisiana, Missis ...

from

Morgan City, Louisiana Morgan City is a small city in St. Mary and lower St. Martin parishes in the U.S. State of Louisiana. The population was 12,404 at the 2010 census. Known for being “right in the middle of everywhere”, Morgan City is located 68 miles (109&nb ...

Indian Pass, Florida Indian Pass is a small area on the south coast of Gulf County, Florida, 8 miles south of Port St. Joe. It promotes itself as an uncrowded haven for sports fisherman and water enthusiasts, and for dining featuring locally caught oysters. A ferry pro ...

. Local branches of the National Weather Service issued coastal flood watches for Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. A general

flood watch Flood alerts are issued by weather agencies to alert residents that flood conditions are a possibility. Types of flood alerts in the United States In the United States, a flash flood watch is issued by the National Weather Service (NWS) when weat ...

was issued for

South Florida South Florida is the southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the other two are Central Florida and North Florida. South Florida is the southernmost part of ...

; heavy rains antecedent to Arlene left grounds saturated and prime for flooding. A tropical storm warning was issued for a stretch of coast slightly further east than the area covered by the preceding watch, and a hurricane watch was issued for the central section of the region. This turned into a hurricane warning from Pearl River, Louisiana to Indian Pass due to fears of the system strengthening to hurricane strength. The warnings were reduced and were then canceled eight hours after the second landfall. County authorities in parts of Alabama held conferences on June 10 in anticipation of heavy rain from Tropical Storm Arlene. The Elmore County Emergency Management Agency had hundreds of sandbags ready for use. Local officials in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties activated their emergency operations centers on June 10. Transportation department crews were dispatched to clear debris from storm drains and distribute sandbags where necessary. In accordance with a policy passed a week prior, FEMA began strapping down trailers provided for victims of Ivan shortly before the arrival of Arlene. State Farm Florida Insurance Spokesman Tom Hagerty advised residents to thoroughly document possessions for potential claims related to Arlene as they would be treated as a separate claim from those related to Ivan. Still recovering from

Hurricane Ivan Hurricane Ivan was a large, long-lived, Cape Verde hurricane that caused widespread damage in the Caribbean and United States. The cyclone was the ninth named storm, the sixth hurricane and the fourth major hurricane of the active 2004 Atl ...

which struck the Gulf Coast in September 2004, construction contractors and residents were forced to hasten home repair efforts in order to secure structures. Approximately 40,000 buildings in the Pensacola Bay area alone were covered by blue roof tarps. By June 10, homes in and around Pensacola were boarded up with plywood or storm shutters. Gas canisters, tarps, and generators were in high-demand at local stores. Debris from Ivan remained littered across Pensacola Beach, Perdido Key, and Navarre Beach. Florida Governor

Jeb Bush John Ellis "Jeb" Bush (born February 11, 1953) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 43rd governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007. Bush, who grew up in Houston, was the second son of former President George H. W. Bush ...

issued a state of emergency two days before the storm's final landfall. Recovery teams were also deployed to the area. An evacuation order was issued for all areas south of Gulf Beach Highway, including

Pensacola Beach Pensacola Beach is an unincorporated community located on Santa Rosa Island, a barrier island, in Escambia County, Florida, United States. It is situated south of Pensacola (and Gulf Breeze connected via bridges spanning to the Fairpoint P ...

, Perdido Key, and Innerarity Point. Walton County officials issued a voluntary evacuation order for low-lying areas and mobile homes. Walton County also opened a shelter in Freeport, and four shelters and one special needs shelter were opened in Escambia County. Two days prior to landfall, 36 oil platforms and 16 rigs were evacuated. The cumulative production loss caused from the evacuation of the storm totalled 0.109% of the yearly production, approximately 575 million barrels. The stopped rigs also accounted for 3.87% of the daily production on June 13.

Florida

In the

Florida Keys The Florida Keys are a coral island, coral cay archipelago located off the southern coast of Florida, forming the southernmost part of the continental United States. They begin at the southeastern coast of the Florida peninsula, about south of ...

, Arlene produced wind gusts of up to , causing wind damage to four homes in

Lower Matecumbe Key Lower Matecumbe Key is an island in the upper Florida Keys, United States, located on U.S. 1 between mile markers 75–78. All of the key is within the Village of Islamorada as of November 4, 1997, when it was incorporated. It is home to the ma ...

. The storm caused a storm surge of above normal. Waves on top of the surge caused flooding on roads in

Key West Key West ( es, Cayo Hueso) is an island in the Straits of Florida, within the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Island, it con ...

. Damage in the Florida Keys totaled to $90,000 (2005 USD). The only death attributed to Arlene was that of a woman caught in a

rip current A rip current, often simply called a rip (or misleadingly a ''rip tide''), is a specific kind of water current that can occur near beaches with breaking waves. A rip is a strong, localized, and narrow current of water which moves directly away ...

Miami Beach, Florida Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It was incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on natural and man-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter of which sep ...

, far from the center of circulation. In the

, the storm dropped heavy rainfall, peaking at in Plantation Bay, Florida in Flagler County. Upon making landfall, Arlene caused a storm surge of up to in Walton County. Moderate

beach erosion Coastal erosion is the loss or displacement of land, or the long-term removal of sediment and rocks along the coastline due to the action of waves, currents, tides, wind-driven water, waterborne ice, or other impacts of storms. The landward ...

also occurred. Storm surge and strong waves caused moderate to severe damage to roads along the panhandle. Strong winds caused power outages to 500 people in Walton,

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

and

Bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a nar ...

counties. The storm spawned a weak

tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, alt ...

Navarre, Florida Navarre is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Santa Rosa County in the northwest Florida Panhandle. It is a major bedroom community for mostly U.S. military personnel, federal civil servants, local population, retire ...

, causing minor damage on its 0.1-mile (0.2-km) path. Damage on the panhandle totaled to $3.5 million (2005 USD), $2.5 million of which was in

Fort Pickens Fort Pickens is a pentagonal historic United States military fort on Santa Rosa Island in the Pensacola, Florida, area. It is named after American Revolutionary War hero Andrew Pickens. The fort was completed in 1834 and was one of the few ...

alone.

Alabama

Upon making landfall, the storm produced storm tides of up to in height. Minor beach erosion occurred as well. Arlene dropped moderate to heavy rainfall throughout

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = " Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,7 ...

, with higher totals of up to to the west of

Interstate 65 Interstate 65 (I-65) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates ending in 5, it is a major crosscountry, north–south route, connecting between the Great Lakes and the Gu ...

. of rain fell in a three-hour period in the

Mobile Mobile may refer to: Places * Mobile, Alabama, a U.S. port city * Mobile County, Alabama * Mobile, Arizona, a small town near Phoenix, U.S. * Mobile, Newfoundland and Labrador Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Mobile ...

area. Several roads were temporarily impassable from the flooding, and one road was completely washed away. Wind speeds were around 20 to 30 mph (30 to 50 km/h), while wind gusts of over 60 mph (95 km/h) existed. The winds downed several trees and power lines, leaving thousands without power for several hours. With the storm following a path similar to

just nine months earlier, many trees damaged previously by Ivan were downed completely. In addition, several homes experienced light wind damage. The outer bands of the storm also caused numerous funnel clouds, though no tornadoes were reported. Overall, damage was light, amounting to $1.7 million (2005 USD).

Elsewhere

Heavy rainfall in

Towns County, Georgia Towns County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,493. Its county seat is Hiawassee. The county was created on March 6, 1856, and named for United States lawyer ...

forced multiple residents to evacuate from rising flood water. Numerous creeks and rivers in the northern portion of the state overflowed. Tropical Storm Arlene caused light rainfall across southeastern

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Mis ...

, typically between . The effects were generally minimal. In

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

, the remnants of Arlene dropped heavy rainfall, peaking at in

Evansville Evansville is a city in, and the county seat of, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. The population was 118,414 at the 2020 census, making it the state's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the largest city i ...

. In Indianapolis, fell at the

International Airport An international airport is an airport with customs and border control facilities enabling passengers to travel between countries around the world. International airports are usually larger than domestic airports and they must feature longer ...

. Rainfall from the storm was 85% of the typical June rainfall level. Arlene also spawned two tornadoes. An F1 tornado developed to the southwest of Hayden on June 12. The tornado damaged several buildings and trees on its 5.3-mile (8.5-km) path, with total damage amounting to $100,000 (2005 USD). Outer rainbands also developed an F0 tornado just south of Indianapolis, downing a few tree limbs. The remnants of Arlene combined with a non-tropical system caused heavy rainfall across

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, with some locations reporting of precipitation in a 2-hour period. The rainfall collected into streams and rivers, with some officials calling it a 1 in 500 year flood. Flash flooding caused at least one mudslide and damaged several roads. The flooding forced at least 20 people to evacuate their homes, and numerous houses were damaged. Strong winds also downed trees and power lines, causing scattered power outages. Damage totaled to $6.5 million (2005 USD).

References

External links

NHC's archive on Tropical Storm Arlene
* The

Hydrometeorological Prediction Center The Weather Prediction Center (WPC), located in College Park, Maryland, is one of nine service centers under the umbrella of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), a part of the National Weather Service (NWS), which in turn is ...

's (HPC
archive on Tropical Storm Arlene
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Arlene (2005) 2005 Atlantic hurricane season Atlantic tropical storms Hurricanes in Cuba Hurricanes in Florida Hurricanes in Alabama Hurricanes in Mississippi Hurricanes in Georgia (U.S. state) Hurricanes in North Carolina Hurricanes in Tennessee Hurricanes in Indiana Hurricanes in New York (state) Hurricanes in Michigan Tropical Storm Arlene Tropical Storm Arlene June 2005 events in North America Arlene