Tropical Storm Arlene Forms in the Gulf of Mexico
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Tropical Storm Arlene formed in the Gulf of Mexico on Friday, making it the first named storm of the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season.
Arlene was 165 miles west of Key West, Fla., on Saturday morning and was moving southeast toward Cuba at nine miles per hour, the National Hurricane Center said in an advisory. There were no coastal watches or warnings in effect, the Hurricane Center said.
The storm had sustained winds of about 40 m.p.h., with higher gusts and tropical-storm-force winds extending up to 70 miles from the center. But the storm was expected to weaken over the next 24 hours and dissipate on Sunday. Still, portions of southern Florida could see upward of 5 inches of rain through tonight.
Tropical disturbances that have sustained winds of 39 m.p.h. earn a name. Once winds reach 74 m.p.h., a storm becomes a hurricane, and at 111 m.p.h., it becomes a major hurricane.
Arlene is technically the second tropical cyclone to reach tropical storm strength this year. The Hurricane Center announced in May that it had determined that a storm that formed off the northeastern United…
