It moved westward, crossing Florida and the Gulf of Mexico before dissipating over southeastern Louisiana on September 1. The depression dropped moderate rainfall along the Gulf Coast, peaking at at Gulf Shores, Alabama. There were three non-developing tropical depressions in September, the first of which just off the coast of Africa on September 3. It moved west-northwestward, passing near Cape Verde before dissipating on September 8. The next, Tropical Depression Eighteen, originated on September 8 east of Florida from the same trough that also spawned Fern, Ginger, and Heidi. It initially moved northward before curving to the west, making landfall near the Georgia/South Carolina border on September 11 before dissipating the following day. The other, Tropical Depression Nineteen, developed off the coast of Africa on September 10, moving westward before dissipating on September 14. The final non-developing tropical depression of the season formed on October 6 in the western Caribbean Sea. It crossed the Yucatán Peninsula the next day, dropping heavy rainfall up to . The depression turned to the northeast due to an approaching upper-level trough, and it transitioned into a frontal wave on October 10. As the trough advanced ahead of the storm, a ridge built across the southeast United States, causing the cyclone to turn northward and parallel the west coast of Florida. It regained tropical characteristics before moving ashore near Apalachicola and dissipating on October 14. Storm names The following names were used for named storms (tropical storms and hurricanes) that formed in the North Atlantic in 1971. Names that were not assigned are marked in . Storms were named Beth, Kristy and Laura for the first time in 1971. Season effects This is a table of the storms in 1971 and their landfall(s), if any. Deaths in parentheses are additional and indirect (an example of an indirect death would be a traffic accident), but are still storm-related. Damage and deaths include totals while the storm was extratropical or a wave or low. |- | Arlene || || bgcolor=#| || || || The Carolinas, Newfoundland || || || |- | Two || || bgcolor=#| || || Unknown || Texas, Louisiana || || || |- | Three || || bgcolor=#| || || Unknown || Texas || || || |- | Unnamed || || bgcolor=#| || || || || || || |- | Five || || bgcolor=#| || || Unknown || Louisiana || || || |- | Beth