Tropical Storm Dolly forms in Atlantic, expected to weaken before reaching islands

The National Hurricane Center said on Thursday that Tropical Storm Dolly formed in the Atlantic after becoming more organized overnight. At 11 a.m. the center was located about 1,555 miles east of the Leeward Islands, moving west at 24 mph with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph and tropical-storm-force winds extending 60 miles from its center.

"On the forecast track, this system should be nearing the Leeward Islands this weekend," NHC senior hurricane specialist Eric Blake said. "Little change in strength is forecast during the next 48 hours, and Dolly is forecast to degenerate into a tropical wave before it reaches the Leeward Islands." Even if the storm dissipates, heavy rain could affect the Caribbean from late Saturday into Monday, bringing the risk of flash flooding in higher terrain, Blake added. The next advisory is scheduled for 5 p.m. The naming of the storm was unrelated to the recent death of entertainer Dolly Parton, Blake noted, explaining that Atlantic storm names come from six rotating lists maintained by the World Meteorological Organization. Dolly, which replaced the name Diana after the 1990 season, is the fourth named storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season, following Arthur, Bertha and Cristobal. NOAA currently forecasts between seven and 13 named storms this year, with two to six becoming hurricanes and at most two reaching major hurricane strength.