Tropical Storm Arlene forms as clouds gather

NASA has released video that shows tropical storm Arlene as it forms in the Gulf of Mexico on June 27, 2011.

Arlene is the first tropical storm of the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season, which started June 1. This video shows tropical depression system 95L strengthen into a tropical storm, starting at 8 p.m. EDT on June 27, 2011 in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico.

As of June 29, the Miami Herald reports that Arlene has brought much-needed rain to South Florida. Arlene is expected to reach the coast of central northeastern Mexico early Thursday. There is a slight chance it could land as a category 1 hurricane, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Both NASA and NOAA manage the GOES-13 satellite, which is short for Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite. It takes continuous snapshots from space in the visible and infrared spectrum of the eastern U.S. and Atlantic Ocean basin.

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