Tropical Storm Dolly formed in the North Atlantic on August 27, 2026, and collapsed into an open tropical wave less than 24 hours later, leaving its remnants on a path toward the Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico, and Hispaniola.
The National Hurricane Center, which designated the storm AL042026, said Dolly developed from a low-pressure area previously tracked as Invest AL96. Satellite imagery showed a well-defined center that morning, with maximum winds near 35 knots measured by scatterometer data in the storm's northeastern quadrant. A subtropical high-pressure ridge over the central Atlantic drove Dolly westward at an initial speed of 21 knots.
Conditions turned hostile quickly. Northwesterly wind shear pushed thunderstorm activity to the storm's southern side, and by the afternoon of August 27 the northern portion of the circulation was exposed to dry air. Increasing vertical wind shear, additional dry air, and the storm's fast forward speed all worked against Dolly's survival, the NHC said. By the morning of August 28, satellite imagery showed the low-level circulation losing definition, and NOAA buoy 41041 recorded no westerly winds as the center passed just to its north. The NHC issued its fifth and final advisory on Dolly that morning, declaring it an open tropical wave.
As of that final advisory, the remnants were moving at 280 degrees at 22 knots. The NHC forecast the wave to reach the Leeward Islands on the night of August 30 or August 31, 2026, with heavy rainfall threatening those islands late August 30 into August 31. The Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Hispaniola faced rain impacts on August 31 and September 1, 2026. Flash flooding was considered a risk, particularly in higher-terrain areas of the Leeward Islands. Continuing coverage of the remnants would shift to High Seas Forecasts from the National Weather Service.