Environment & Climate

Tropical Storm Dolly forms in Atlantic Ocean

The fourth named storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season is moving west toward the Caribbean and is expected to weaken before hitting land.

Updated Aug 27, 2026 · 18:38 UTC2 reports

The short version

Tropical Storm Dolly formed in the Atlantic with sustained winds of 40 mph and is moving rapidly west.
Forecasters expect the system to weaken into a tropical wave before reaching the Leeward Islands by Saturday.
Heavy rainfall could trigger flash flooding across the Leeward Islands, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Hispaniola through Monday.

Tropical Storm Dolly formed in the central Atlantic on Thursday, becoming the fourth named storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season.[ABC News · CBS News]
The storm sustained winds of 40 mph and was moving westward at 24 mph approximately 1,555 miles east of the Leeward Islands.[ABC News · CBS News]
The National Hurricane Center projects the storm will degenerate into a tropical wave as it approaches the Leeward Islands.[ABC News · CBS News]
Heavy rain from the system may produce flash flooding in higher terrain across Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, the Virgin Islands, and the Leeward Islands through Sunday and Monday.[ABC News · CBS News]
The storm's name was determined years in advance by predetermined alphabetical lists, making its coincidence with the recent death of singer Dolly Parton unrelated.[ABC News · CBS News]

The exact total rainfall amounts and specific areas that will experience severe flash flooding remain dependent on how quickly the storm degrades.[ABC News · CBS News]