Tropical Storm Dolly forms in the Atlantic Ocean

Tropical Storm Dolly formed in the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday and was later downgraded to an open tropical wave by the National Hurricane Center on Friday. The storm quickly moved towards the Leeward Islands, where it was expected to bring heavy rainfall. This marked the fourth named storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season. Dolly was forecast to continue moving west at around 25 miles per hour, with gusts of approximately 40 mph.

Once the storm's remnants passed, winds were expected to fall below tropical-storm force on Saturday. These winds range between 39 and 73 mph.

The NHC predicted that the remnants of Dolly would near the Leeward Islands on Saturday night into Sunday, potentially causing extensive rainfall and flash flooding in areas with higher elevation. The Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti could experience heavy rain on Sunday and Monday. The NHC will discontinue updates on the former tropical storm.

The 2026 Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June to November, has been less active than anticipated, a prediction based on the strengthening El Niño in the Pacific. Dolly's formation occurred just days after the death of country music icon Dolly Parton, who was 80 years old. The list of storm names is pre-determined six years prior to the beginning of the hurricane season by the World Meteorological Organization and is arranged in alphabetical order. Any storms powerful enough to be named are given their names in that sequence.