Tropical Storm Dolly speeding across Atlantic toward the Caribbean

Dolly, which formed on Thursday, had maximum sustained winds of near 40mph (65km/h) with higher gusts as of Friday.

“Heavy rain from Dolly could affect the Leeward Islands late Saturday into Sunday, with rainfall moving into the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Hispaniola Sunday and Monday” the NHC warned. “This heavy rain may produce flash flooding within areas of higher terrain of the Leeward Islands.”

No coastal watches or warnings are currently in effect. The Leeward Islands stretch from the Virgin Islands to Guadeloupe, with the Caribbean Sea on their west side and the Atlantic to the east, while Hispaniola is the island where Haiti and the Dominican Republic are located.

The storm’s name has drawn unusual attention online, with observers noting that it formed just days after the death of the country music star Dolly Parton in the US earlier this week and wondering whether it was named in her honor. However, the name is a coincidence and has no connection to Parton’s death. Tropical storms are assigned names from predetermined alphabetical lists managed by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

For the names of storms in the Atlantic, there is a list of male and female names which are used on a six-year rotation. Dolly is the fourth name on the 2026 list, making it the fourth named storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season.

Earlier this summer, Tropical Storm Arthur brought heavy rainfall to the US Gulf coast, while Tropical Storm Bertha made landfall in Louisiana, bringing rain and strong winds. Earlier this month, another storm, Tropical Storm Cristobal, formed but quickly dissipated.

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from 1 June to 30 November. So far, the season has been quieter than usual, with experts pointing to several factors.

“Tropical storm activity in the Atlantic basin is expected to be tempered by El Niño conditions, which first emerged in the equatorial Pacific in June,” according to forecasters with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “El Niño increases wind shear, which tends to prevent tropical storms from forming or from getting stronger once formed.”