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An easterly wave entered the Southeastern Gulf of Mexico on May 27th and gradually increased in organization. Early on May 28th, ship reports indicated a closed surface circulation had developed, becoming the first tropical depression of the season. High pressure ridging at the surface and aloft over the East Coast steered the depression northwest across the central Gulf of Mexico with the tropical cyclone becoming better organized. Another ship report later that afternoon reported tropical storm force winds, leading to the upgrade to Tropical Storm Arlene.
Arlene gradually intensified over the north central Gulf of Mexico, continuing to head northwest towards the Louisiana Coast. By the afternoon of May 29th, steering currents aloft began to weaken with increased shear, halting the forward speed and strengthening trend while centered about 150 miles south of the Central Louisiana coast. By May 30th, high pressure ridging off the Southeast U.S. began ridging westward. This, coupled with an approaching upper level trough over the Midwest, turned Arlene northward and further intensification commenced. Tropical Storm Arlene reached a peak intensity of 65 mph (55 knots) and an estimated minimum pressure of 993 mbar (29.32 inches) just south of Vermilion Bay later that afternoon.
With little change in strength, Arlene made landfall just south of Franklin, Louisiana at 4 PM with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph (55 knots) on May 30th. This remains the earliest tropical storm to make landfall on the Louisiana coast. Arlene continued to move slowly north northeast, moving over Baton Rouge by Midnight. Arlene weakened back to a tropical depression by daybreak May 31st as it was moving into Southern Mississippi. Arlene slowly moved across Central Mississippi for the remainder of the day, then turned eastward over Alabama on June 1st and moved across Georgia on June 2nd and dissipated over South Carolina. Click here for an interactive map of Tropical Storm Arlene.
WIND & PRESSURE:
The highest sustained winds of 63 mph (55 knots) was measured on an oil platform about 40 miles south of the South-Central Louisiana coast. Near the point of landfall, the highest sustained winds of 55 mph (48 knots) with gusts to 75 mph (65 knots), along with a central pressure of 999.7 millibars (29.52 inches) was reported at Patterson, Louisiana. Sustained tropical storm force winds of 40 to 55 mph were mainly confined to St. Mary and Terrebonne parishes. Observations obtained from the Preliminary Report on Tropical Storm Arlene, the Hurricane Re-analysis Project (1959) and hourly surface observations from the National Centers for Environmental Information (NECI).
STORM SURGE:
Tides of 2 to 3 feet above normal were common across coastal Iberia, St. Mary, and Terrebonne parishes. A storm surge of 3 feet above MSL was measured at Weeks Island, LA and Point Au Fer Reef Lighthouse.
RAINFALL:
Rainfall of 4 to 6 inches was recorded over Lower Acadiana and the Atchafalaya Basin near the point of landfall. The highest rainfall within our area was 6.73 inches 3 miles northwest of Franklin, Louisiana. Higher rainfall amounts of 5 to 10 inches was recorded over Southeast Louisiana and Southern Mississippi with the highest rainfall of 13.55 inches recorded in Merill, Mississippi. For complete rainfall totals reported across our region, see the Rainfall section.
TORNADOES:
No tornadoes were reported.
Webpage design and content by: Donovan Landreneau
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