DAY 30

Arlene finishes as a strong tropical storm with a low pressure of 993 mb and a maximum sustained wind of 65 mph. She made landfall at 6am Central Time in Cabo Rojo, Veracruz south of Tampico. More than 9 inches of rainfall was measured in parts of northern Mexico, and there were 5 fatalities as a result of Arlene.

Arlene is the most popular storm name of all-time. This was the 10th time she became an Atlantic storm, and we will likely see her again someday because her existence this time was probably not significant enough to warrant retirement. Unless the World Meteorological Organization just gets sick of hearing her name, Arlene will become eligible for a cyclone name again in 2017.

This was the second time I can remember a storm named Arlene coming close to becoming a hurricane just before landfall. On June 11th, 2005 I was standing on Pensacola Beach with reporter Scott Thuman as then Tropical Storm Arlene made landfall as a strong storm of 70 mph sustained winds and a pressure of 989 mb. Below is the story that we filed on Channel 9 that day.