Tropical Storm Arlene was still hanging onto its title on Saturday morning, but the National Hurricane Center said the first named storm of the 2023 hurricane season is expected to weaken today.

Arlene remained in the eastern Gulf and is no direct threat to the United States. However, the storm could help generate more rain and storms over parts of the Florida Peninsula today.

Arlene is no threat to Alabama, and no effects from the storm are expected in the state. There is a low risk of rip currents today along Alabama and northwest Florida beaches, according to the National Weather Service in Mobile.

As of 4 a.m. CDT Saturday, Tropical Storm Arlene was located about 165 miles west of the Dry Tortugas in the Florida Keys and was moving south-southeast at 9 mph.

Arlene was a minimal tropical storm with top winds of 40 mph.

The hurricane center said Arlene is expected to continue to track to the south-southeast and possibly turn more to the southeast and toward Cuba over the next day or so.

It will weaken as it does so. The hurricane center expects Arlene to weaken to a tropical depression later today, and then weaken further to remnant low tonight.

Arlene should be only a memory by Sunday.

Arlene is the first named storm of the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season, which began June 1.

NOAA is expecting a near-average season with 12-17 named storms, five to nine hurricanes and one to four major hurricanes (Category 3 or stronger storms).

There has been one other storm so far in 2023, an unnamed subtropical storm that formed off the Northeast U.S. coast in mid-January. It never affected land.

The Atlantic hurricane season will run for the next six months, coming to a close on Nov. 30.