MIAMI—Tropical Storm Arlene, the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, formed Friday in the Gulf of Mexico on a track taking the cyclone south toward the western tip of Cuba.
National Hurricane Center forecasters (NHC) said on Friday that Tropical Depression Two has been upgraded to Tropical Storm Arlene in the Gulf of Mexico. In a 5 a.m. ET advisory Saturday, the NHC said Arlene had sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph) and was located about 165 miles (265 kilometers) west of the Dry Tortugas. It’s moving south-southeast near 9 mph (15 kph). It added that Arlene is likely to weaken and become a tropical depression on Saturday.
No storm watches or warnings have been posted for Cuba or Florida. Forecasters say rainfall amounts of 1 to 2 inches with localized higher amounts up to 5 inches are possible across portions of the southern Florida Peninsula. Areas with heavy rainfall could experience isolated flash, urban, and small stream flooding.
Tropical storms have winds of at least 39 mph (63 kph); anything 74 mph (119 kph) or higher is designated a hurricane.
The Atlantic hurricane season officially began Thursday and runs through Nov. 30. Last year’s season had 14 named storms, with extensive damage caused by Hurricanes Ian, Nicole, and Fiona.
