The 1999 Atlantic hurricane season was a very active, destructive and deadly season in which 16 tropical cyclones formed. Among them, 12 became named storms, of which 8 became hurricanes. Five hurricanes intensified further into major hurricanes. The season featured a record-tying five Category 4 hurricanes. This high activity is mostly due to a persistent La Niña that developed in the latter half of the previous year. The season officially began on June 1, and ended on November 30. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin. The first storm, Arlene, formed on June 11 to the southeast of Bermuda. It meandered slowly for a week and caused no impact on land. Other tropical cyclones that did not affect land were Hurricane Cindy, Tropical Storm Emily, and Tropical Depression Twelve. Localized or otherwise minor damage occurred from Hurricanes Bret, Gert, and Jose, and tropical storms Harvey and Katrina.