MIAMI — Tropical Storm Dolly formed Thursday in the Atlantic Ocean far from land, and forecasters said it could bring heavy rain to portions of the Caribbean. The storm was about 1,555 miles (2,500 kilometres) east of the Leeward Islands and had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (64 km/h), the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said. Dolly was moving west. The storm and its name had no connection to Dolly Parton’s death Tuesday. Storm systems are named by procedures set by the World Meteorological Organization, and the lists of names are reused every six years. For the Atlantic region, the lists are alphabetical and alternate male and female names. Dolly was the fourth named storm for the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season. There were no coastal watches or warnings in effect, but the centre said the Leeward Islands could get heavy rain Saturday and Sunday. The Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Hispaniola could see heavy rain Sunday and Monday. Little change in strength is forecast during the coming days, the centre said, but flash flooding could occur. The Atlantic hurricane season started with Tropical Storm Arthur coming ashore on the U.S. Gulf Coast in June, and Tropical Storm Bertha dumped rain in Louisiana and Texas in July. Tropical Storm Cristobal formed and quickly dissipated in the Atlantic earlier in August. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has forecast a below-average Atlantic hurricane season due to El Nino. It forecast eight to 14 named storms, with three to six of them reaching hurricane strength and one to three of those intensifying to major hurricanes. The NHC and other weather agencies name storms to easily communicate warnings about them to people and to avoid confusion. The WMO says names are chosen to be short, easy to pronounce and familiar to the regions of the world where the storm names are used. It meets regularly to evaluate potential names, and some names are retired for reasons of sensitivity, particularly for deadly or destructive storms. One name from the 2025 season was retired, Melissa, which was a Category 5 hurricane that brought devastation to the Caribbean. The Associated Press
