It’s already a tropical storm, and it’s known as “Tropical Storm Dolly.”
It has assembled over the Atlantic just days after the passing of country star Dolly Parton, and experts are confirming the stunning coincidence.
A report at USA Today on the storm, which could end up as Hurricane Dolly, confirms it is the fourth-named storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season.
Tropical Storm #Dolly Advisory 1 (11 AM AST, Thu Aug 27): Tropical Storm Dolly Forms Over the Central Tropical Atlantic. Interests in the Leeward Islands Should Monitor. https://t.co/GrztW6mQJV
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) August 27, 2026
NHC is starting advisories on Tropical Storm Dolly (former AL96) at 11am today (Thursday) … pic.twitter.com/wXBNrSrJ8W
— Enki Research (@EnkiResearch) August 27, 2026
The storm, now over the Atlantic, is assigned the name “Dolly” which was chosen 30 years ago.
While the naming of the storm is unrelated to the death of the singer, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirms the name is being used, and there are no plans to skip the assigned sequence.
The NOAA confirms does not control the naming of tropical storms or when the names are used, the report said.
“Instead a strict procedure has been established by an international committee of the World Meteorological Organization,” its website explains.
Roger Edwards, a long-time Dolly Parton fan and meteorologist who recently retired from NOAA, said in a social media tribute it is an “astounding coincidence.”
The names actually come from sets of six rotating alphabetical lists set up by a committee.
“Names are used in sequence and the lists repeat every seventh year,” the report said.
“In the Atlantic, the rotating list of names is maintained by a hurricane committee for the North Atlantic basin, which includes representation from the hurricane center, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Weather Service. After each season, the committee decides if any storm names should be retired because a storm was so historic in terms of severity, including deaths and damages, that it would be insensitive to use it again.”
A replacement then is chosen.
“Dolly” was picked as a replacement for “Diana,” a storm that struck Mexico in 1990 and killed 139 people.
“Dolly” had been used on tropical storms several times in the past, during Parton’s lifetime, the report said.
There was a Hurricane Dolly that struck Texas as a Category 1 in 2008.
