Tropical Storm Dolly could form right after Dolly Parton’s death

So far, there have been three named tropical systems in the Atlantic basin: Arthur, Bertha and Cristobal. With D next in the alphabet, the next storm to develop would be named Dolly.

That name was designated years ago as the fourth named storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season. But it could arrive just days after the death of legendary country musician Dolly Parton.

Quite a coincidence.

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Based on current conditions and typical climatology for this time of year, it is possible that Tropical Storm Dolly could form in the coming days.

The National Hurricane Center said a system in the eastern Atlantic Ocean has a 70% chance of developing into a tropical system within the next 48 hours. The disturbance is moving into an area favorable for tropical development, making it a strong candidate to become Tropical Storm Dolly.

The National Hurricane Center rotates tropical storm names every six years and occasionally retires names associated with especially destructive or deadly storms.

Dolly has appeared on the Atlantic storm name list since 1996. It replaced Diana after Hurricane Diana devastated parts of Mexico in 1990, prompting officials to retire the name. Dolly was last used in 2020, when a subtropical low developed into a weak tropical storm off the New England coast.

The name Dolly was nearly retired in 2008 after the storm made landfall on the Yucatan Peninsula and later in South Texas, causing more than $1 billion in damage and killing 22 people.

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