Tropical Storm Dolly formed in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean Thursday morning and is heading towards the Leeward Islands this weekend, forecasters said.
As of 10 a.m., Dolly was about 1555 miles east of the Leeward Islands. It was producing maximum sustained winds of 40 mph and moving west at 24 miles, .
Dolly is expected to continue on its westward trajectory over the next couple of days.
While there is a window for slight intensification Thursday, Dolly should face hostile conditions and increasing southwestern shear by Friday, NHC forecaster Eric Blake said.
Dolly could strengthen to produce maximum sustained winds of 45 mph by Thursday night, and maintain those winds through Saturday morning before degrading and becoming post-tropical by Saturday evening.
The storm should be a tropical wave by the time it nears the Leeward Islands Saturday night to Sunday morning, but Blake said interests in the Leeward Islands should still monitor weather conditions.
Heavy rainfall could pour over the Leeward Islands late Saturday into Sunday and then reach the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Hispaniola Sunday and Monday, possibly producing flash flooding.
Dolly is the fourth named storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season.