Arlene, the first named storm of the 1959 Atlantic hurricane season, developed out of a tropical wave which was first noted near the Dominican Republic on May 23.

Rapid weakening took place as the storm neared land and Arlene made landfall with winds of 45 mph (72 km/h) later that night.

The system degenerated into a remnant low on the afternoon of May 31 and fully dissipated late on June 2 while located over South Carolina.

Arlene dropped heavy rains totaling over 1 ft (0.30 m) in localized areas as it moved into the Southeast United States.

The heavy rains caused minor flooding in Louisiana and property damage from the storm amounted to $500,000 ($3.7 million 2008 USD).

[1][3] The storm was located 150 mi (240 km) south of Lafayette, Louisiana as it drifted northward and winds were estimated to have peaked at 50 mph (80 km/h).

This new low quickly tracked northeast, brushing the southern coast of New England before moving over Nova Scotia and losing its identity on June 3.

[8] The low that eventually became Arlene prompted wind warnings and small craft advisories for both coasts in southern Florida on May 27.

[1] The small craft advisory was significantly expanded the next day when the low was upgraded to Tropical Storm Arlene.

[1] Along the coast, a few towns reported downed trees and electrical lines from high winds, resulting in scattered power outages.

[10] In nearby Mississippi, rainfall from the storm was mainly confined to the southeastern counties; however, significant accumulations, peaking at 13.55 in (344 mm), were recorded.