NewzMIAMI (AP) — Tropical Storm Dolly formed Thursday in the Atlantic Ocean far from land, and forecasters said it could bring heavy rain to portions of the Caribbean.The storm was about 1,555 miles (2,500 kilometers) east of the Leeward Islands and had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (64 kph), the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said. Dolly was moving west.The storm and its name had no connection to Dolly Parton’s death Tuesday.Storm systems are named by procedures set by the World Meteorological Organization, and the lists of names are reused every six years.
For the Atlantic region, the lists are alphabetical and alternate male and female names.Dolly was the fourth named storm for the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season.There were no coastal watches or warnings in effect, but the center said the Leeward Islands could get heavy rain Saturday and Sunday. The Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Hispaniola could see heavy rain Sunday and Monday.Little change in strength is forecast during the coming days, the center said, but flash flooding could occur.The Atlantic hurricane season started with Tropical Storm Arthur coming ashore on the U.S. Gulf Coast in June, and Tropical Storm Bertha dumped rain in Louisiana and Texas in July.
Tropical Storm Cristobal formed and quickly dissipated in the Atlantic earlier in August.The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has forecast a below-average Atlantic hurricane season due to El Nino. It forecast eight to 14 named storms, with three to six of them reaching hurricane strength and one to three of those intensifying to major hurricanes.The NHC and other weather agencies name storms to easily communicate warnings about them to people and to avoid confusion. The WMO says names are chosen to be short, easy to pronounce and familiar to the regions of the world where the storm names are used.
It meets regularly to evaluate potential names, and some names are retired for reasons of sensitivity, particularly for deadly or destructive storms.One name from the 2025 season was retired, Melissa, which was a Category 5 hurricane that brought devastation to the Caribbean. The storm and its name had no connection to Dolly Parton's death Tuesday. Tropical Storm Dolly on Thursday became the fourth named storm in the Atlantic Ocean this year.
Tropical Storm Dolly formed Thursday morning in the Atlantic far from land, forecasters confirmed.According to the National Hurricane Center, Dolly formed over the central tropical Atlantic. Forecasters advised people in the Leeward Islands to monitor its progress.Dolly was moving west at 24 mph with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph.While Dolly formed just two days after the death of country music icon Dolly Parton, the naming of the storm is pure coincidence, forecasters say.Storm systems are named by procedures set by the World Meteorological Organization, and the lists of names are reused every six years. The National Hurricane Center said Thursday that a cluster of thunderstorms in the Atlantic Ocean had organized into Tropical Storm Dolly.Previously, three named tropical systems had formed in the Atlantic basin: Arthur, Bertha and Cristobal.
With D next in the alphabet, the next storm to develop was named Dolly.The name was designated years ago as the fourth named storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season. It arrived two days after the death of legendary country musician Dolly Parton.The timing was a coincidence.The National Hurricane Center rotates tropical storm names every six years and occasionally retires names associated with especially destructive or deadly storms.Dolly has appeared on the Atlantic storm name list since 1996. It replaced Diana after Hurricane Diana devastated parts of Mexico in 1990, prompting officials to retire the name.
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