Hurricane Arlene (1987)

Hurricane Arlene (1987)

Hurricane Arlene was the first named storm and longest-lived tropical cyclone of the 1987 Atlantic hurricane season. Forming out of an area of low pressure associated with a decaying frontal system along the North Carolina coastline, Arlene tracked in a general eastward direction across the Atlantic Ocean, taking an erratic track with several curves. On August 13, the storm brushed Bermuda as a weak tropical storm before continuing out to sea. On August 20, the storm briefly stalled before becoming a hurricane two days later. Early on August 24, the storm transitioned into an extratropical cyclone over the far north Atlantic before curving southeast and dissipating near the Iberian Peninsula on August 26.

In Bermuda, Arlene produced winds up to 58 mph (93 km/h) and waves up to 12 ft (3.7 m); however, little damage resulted from the storm. Offshore, a blind man was undertaking a challenge to become the first blind man to cross the Atlantic alone; he encountered rough seas and high winds from the storm, causing US$8,000 in damages to his ship over a two-day span. Between August 26 and 27, the remnants of the system produced heavy rains over portions of Western Europe.