Hours after becoming the first named system of the 2023 North Atlantic Hurricane Season, Tropical Storm Arlene has fizzled back to a tropical depression, and is expected to further weaken in the coming hours.

Arlene’s centre was located located about 230 kilometres west-southwest of the Dry Tortugas, Florida, packing maximum sustained winds of 56 kilometres/hour.

Sleuths at the US-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) are cautiously eyeing a further degeneration of the tropical depression amid unfavourable environmental conditions in the Gulf of Mexico.

“A turn to the east is expected by tonight, and that motion should continue until the system dissipates,” the Miami-based weather forecaster said.

Arlene, which formed in the Gulf of Mexico, is forecast to continue weakening and is expected to become a remnant low later on Saturday, NHC said.

Projections place the remnants of Arlene to straddle the southern tip of Florida and the northwestern coast of Cuba into Sunday morning.