National Hurricane Center monitors potential storm named Dolly amid singer's recent death
The NHC is tracking a tropical wave that could become the fourth named storm of the 2026 Atlantic season, using the pre-selected name Dolly, which was added to the list decades ago and is unrelated to the musician’s passing.
The National Hurricane Center said a tropical wave in the Atlantic has a roughly 70% chance of developing into a tropical storm or depression by Aug. 27, which would make it the fourth named system of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season. The name slated for the storm, Dolly, was chosen thirty years ago as part of the regular rotating list and is not linked to the recent death of music icon Dolly Parton.
The center noted that it does not decide when a name is used; naming follows a fixed protocol established by the World Meteorological Organization’s hurricane committee. > "Instead a strict procedure has been established by an international committee of the World Meteorological Organization."
The name Dolly entered the Atlantic list in 1996, replacing the retired name Diana after a 1990 hurricane. It has been assigned to three storms during Parton’s lifetime, most recently to a tropical storm in 2020. The list of names rotates every seven years, and names are retired only after particularly severe storms.
While Parton has previously contributed to disaster relief efforts, including donations after Hurricane Helene in 2024, she has not publicly commented on storms bearing her name.