Tropical Storm Dolly Forms in the Atlantic, Not Named After Dolly Parton
Tropical Storm Dolly formed in the Atlantic far from land, making it the fourth named storm this season, forecasters said. The name is quite a coincidence, but has no connection to country music star Dolly Parton, who died this week. …
Tropical Storm Dolly is rapidly traversing the Atlantic Ocean en route for the Caribbean, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). The storm, which emerged on Thursday, is generating winds almost as strong as 40 miles per hour (65 kilometers per hour), with gusts reaching higher levels. Flash flooding is anticipated in the Leeward Islands, particularly in the coming weekend, with rainfall potentially impacting the Leeward Islands on Saturday and Sunday, and reaching the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Hispaniola by Sunday and Monday.
No coastal warnings have been issued yet, but areas of elevated terrain are at risk of flash flooding due to the heavy rain.
The name Tropical Storm Dolly is purely coincidental, despite the storm's rise just after country singer Dolly Parton's passing. Names for Atlantic storms are drawn from predetermined lists managed by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Dolly is the fourth name on the 2026 list, indicating it will be the fourth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season in 2026.
Prior tropical storms this year include Arthur and Bertha, which caused heavy rainfall in the US Gulf coast and Louisiana, respectively. Tropical Storm Cristobal also formed but faded quickly. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1st to November 30th, and so far, it has been less active than usual. Experts attribute this to the effects of El Niño, a weather pattern currently impacting the Pacific.
El Niño tends to increase wind shear, which can prevent the formation or intensification of tropical storms.
Written by urgent.news from The Guardian's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
