The National Hurricane Center said Tropical Storm Dolly formed Thursday, Aug. 27, over the central tropical Atlantic, becoming the fourth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season.
Dolly was centered about 1,555 miles east of the Leeward Islands late Thursday morning. Maximum sustained winds were near 40 mph, with higher gusts, while the storm was moving west at about 24 mph.
No coastal watches or warnings were in effect.
Though the storm was named two days after the death of music legend Dolly Parton, the name is purely coincidental. Atlantic tropical storm names are determined years in advance by the World Meteorological Organization.
The National Hurricane Center expects Dolly to continue generally westward for the next couple of days, bringing it closer to the Leeward Islands this weekend.
Little change in strength is expected over the next 48 hours. Forecasters say increasingly unfavorable conditions should cause Dolly to weaken into a tropical wave before it reaches the islands.
Heavy rain could begin affecting the Leeward Islands late Saturday, Aug. 29, into Sunday, Aug. 30. The Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Hispaniola could then see heavy rainfall Sunday into Monday, Aug. 31, raising the risk of flash flooding, particularly in higher terrain.
AccuWeather forecasts widespread rainfall of 2 to 4 inches across parts of the northern Lesser Antilles, with isolated totals potentially reaching about 12 inches. Wind gusts could reach 40 to 50 mph, with isolated gusts around 60 mph.
Strong wind shear, dry air, and interaction with land are expected to disrupt Dolly as it moves west. AccuWeather says the remnants could later encounter more favorable conditions north and west of Hispaniola, creating at least some possibility of redevelopment farther west in the Caribbean. AccuWeather
AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Expert Alex DaSilva said the eventual impact on the US remains uncertain.
“There is certainly a chance for this wave to bring rain to the Southeastern US one way or another. The question is in what form?” said DaSilva.
“If the storm can stay together long enough, conditions more conducive to organization around the Bahamas could allow Dolly to reorganize, but if the storm just gets ripped apart by the shear and land interactions, it may never redevelop. In that situation, any potential impact on the US mainland will be minimal.”
The Atlantic hurricane season is approaching its climatological peak around Thursday, Sept. 10. The 2026 Atlantic hurricane season, which began Monday, June 1, runs through Monday, Nov. 30.
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