 An area of disturbed weather organized into a 39 mph ( 63 km / h ) tropical storm – named Charlie by the Air Weather Service in real time – on September 1 over the western Gulf of Mexico . On the morning of September 2 , the poorly defined center moved northeast , and Charlie gradually intensified . It attained hurricane intensity on September 3 and then slowly accelerated toward the upper Gulf Coast . The rapidly reached its peak intensity of 80 mph ( 130 km / h ) , and it crossed the coastline west of Golden Meadow , Louisiana , on September 4 . The center moved inland over Orleans Parish , and the weakening tropical cyclone diminished to a strong tropical storm prior to moving over southern Mississippi . Charlie continued to weaken and fell to tropical depression intensity on September 5 . The remnants turned to the north , and the circulation dissipated over northwestern Indiana on September 6 . 
