The next Atlantic storm will be named Dolly, but it’s not connected to Parton’s death

The next tropical storm that forms in the Atlantic during this hurricane season will be called Dolly, but this naming is merely a coincidence with no connection to the recent death of country singer Dolly Parton. Storms receive their names through a predetermined system established by the World Meteorological Organization, with the lists of names being reused every six years in an alphabetical order that alternates between male and female names.

This hurricane season began with Tropical Storm Arthur making landfall on the U.S. Gulf Coast in June, followed by Tropical Storm Bertha causing heavy rainfall in Louisiana and Texas in July. Tropical Storm Cristobal formed and dissipated earlier in August. The National Hurricane Center is currently tracking a weather system off Africa that may develop into a named tropical storm, with conditions potentially favorable for its formation within the next week.

If this system strengthens to have winds of at least 39 mph, it would be named Tropical Storm Dolly. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted a below-average Atlantic hurricane season due to the presence of El Nino, forecasting eight to 14 named storms, with three to six of those reaching hurricane strength and one to three of them intensifying into major hurricanes.