Tropical Storm Dolly forms in the Atlantic, fourth named storm of 2026 season

Tropical Storm Dolly emerged in the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday, becoming the fourth named storm of the 2026 hurricane season. The National Hurricane Center reported its formation just before 11 a.m. Eastern time, with the storm located far offshore.

Dolly was packing maximum sustained winds of 40 mph, meeting the minimum threshold for a tropical storm. It was moving rapidly eastward over the central Atlantic, approximately 1,555 miles east of the Leeward Islands. Forecasters do not expect its strength to change significantly in the next 48 hours.

The storm is projected to weaken into a tropical wave before it reaches the Leeward Islands, likely by Saturday. However, the system could still produce heavy rainfall, leading to potential flash flooding across parts of the island chain through Sunday. Similar hazards may affect the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Hispaniola into Monday.

Dolly follows previous named storms Arthur, Bertha, and Cristobal this season. Meteorologists had predicted a quieter season due to an intensifying El Niño in the Pacific, though the formation of Dolly occurred coincidentally just days after the death of country music star Dolly Parton.