Hurricane Fern was the sixth named storm and fourth hurricane of the 1971 Atlantic hurricane season. It formed from a tropical wave which interacted with a large trough of low pressure to form Fern, as well as Hurricane Ginger, Tropical Storm Heidi, and a system later designated as Tropical Depression Sixteen, which moved into South Carolina. Fern crossed southeastern Louisiana as a tropical depression on September 4 before swinging back out over the Gulf of Mexico. Fern reached hurricane status on September 8, reaching a peak intensity of 90 mph (140 km/h) before making landfall near Freeport, Texas, two days later.

The 1971 Atlantic hurricane season was an active Atlantic hurricane season overall, producing 13 named storms, of which 6 strengthened into hurricanes. The season officially began on June 1, 1971, and lasted until November 30, 1971. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin. This season, the first storm, Arlene, developed on July 4, while the last, Laura, dissipated on November 22.