Tropical Storm Dolly formed Thursday in the Atlantic Ocean, but the newly named storm is expected to remain weak and does not currently pose a threat to North Carolina.
The National Hurricane Center began issuing advisories on Dolly Thursday morning after satellite data indicated the system had developed a well-defined circulation and organized thunderstorm activity.
Forecasters do not expect significant strengthening. Dolly is forecast to remain a tropical storm before encountering increasingly unfavorable conditions that should cause the system to weaken. The current National Hurricane Center forecast does not show Dolly reaching hurricane strength.
For Moore County and the rest of North Carolina, Dolly is not currently a concern. The storm is forecast to remain well away from the state, and no impacts are expected based on the current track.
Timing of Dolly’s name draws attention
The name Dolly is also receiving attention because of its unusual timing, coming just days after the death of country music legend Dolly Parton.
The National Hurricane Center acknowledged the timing in its first forecast discussion for the storm, saying the use of the name Dolly is “purely coincidental.”
Tropical storm and hurricane names are selected well in advance and are not chosen when individual storms form. The Atlantic uses predetermined lists of names that rotate every six years, unless a storm is significant enough for its name to be retired.
Dolly is the fourth named storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season.
While Dolly is not expected to threaten our area, MCN SkyAlert will continue Tracking the Tropics and monitoring the Atlantic for any systems that could eventually have an impact on North Carolina.
A Moore County native who has spent more than 20 years telling stories across North Carolina and beyond. He’s worked with CNN, WRAL, and CBS 17, and now serves as a Video Journalist for ABC11. Patrick has a passion for breaking news and has earned multiple awards for his coverage. He’s also a certified NWS SKYWARN Storm Spotter and was among the first news videographers in the state to become an FAA-certified drone pilot.
