An area of disturbed weather organized into a 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. It rapidly reached its peak intensity of , 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.