 A tropical wave developed into the first tropical depression of the season on May 28 , while located in the southeastern Gulf of Mexico . The depression strengthened and , early on the following day , was upgraded to Tropical Storm Arlene . The storm slowly intensified and reached its peak intensity of 60 mph ( 95 km / h ) on May 29 . Rapid weakening took place as the storm approached land . By late on May 30 , Arlene made landfall near Lafayette , Louisiana with winds of 45 mph ( 75 km / h ) . Early on the following day the storm weakened to a tropical depression while barely inland . The system eventually curved east @-@ northeastward and meandered across the Southern United States until dissipating over South Carolina on June 2 . 
