Hurricane Arlene was a long-lived tropical cyclone that moved eastward in an erratic fashion in the northern Atlantic Ocean in mid-August 1987.

Hurricane Arlene originated out of an area of low pressure associated with a decaying frontal system along the North Carolina coastline on August 8.

The following day, while located over Andros Island, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) upgraded the system to a tropical depression, the third of the season, based on its appearance on satellite imagery.

[1] Upon becoming a depression on August 10, the forward movement of the storm shifted to the northwest in response to an approaching trough off the Eastern United States and an elongated subtropical ridge to the south.

[1] The depression intensified into a tropical storm at 1800 UTC on August 11;[2] however, operationally it was not upgraded until a reconnaissance mission by the hurricane hunters found flight-level winds of 50 mph (80 km/h).

[2] Upon attaining hurricane-status, Arlene rapidly tracked northward due to a strengthening area of high pressure near the Azores.

[2] Continuing rapidly northward, the hurricane began to interact with a baroclinic zone over the cold waters of the north Atlantic.

The extratropical remnants of the storm continued to track around the periphery of the high pressure system, turning towards the southeast the following day.

[4] As Tropical Storm Arlene tracked towards Bermuda, residents on the island were advised to take precautions and board up their homes.