Published: 16:11 BST, 27 August 2026 | Updated: 21:28 BST, 27 August 2026
Tropical Storm Dolly has erupted in the Atlantic Ocean, and early forecasts warn that the cyclone could be headed directly towards the US East Coast.
The weather front jumped past the first stage of cyclone development, known as a tropical depression, bursting to life with sustained winds of more than 40mph, according to officials.
It developed into a tropical storm at 11am ET on Thursday, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) announced.
Early spaghetti models, which track all possible paths of tropical storms and hurricanes, show a strong likelihood that Dolly will barrel directly towards Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.
From there, multiple tracks predict the storm will reach Cuba, the Bahamas and the coast of Florida.
Some tracks from the American model, known as GFS, suggested that Dolly could move as far north as the Carolinas. However, forecasting models can shift dramatically once storms form and get closer to making landfall.
NHC officials have noted that Dolly may be a 'short-lived tropical storm,' encountering strong wind shear in the Atlantic that prevents it from becoming a hurricane.
However, AccuWeather forecasters warned that there is a path for the cyclone to make it through the chaotic Atlantic air and even grow into a bigger storm closer to the Eastern US.
Tropical Storm Dolly quickly formed in the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday
Forecasting models predict that Tropical Storm Dolly will follow a straight path to the Caribbean islands and US East Coast
AccuWeather lead hurricane expert Alex DaSilva said in a statement: 'If Dolly can survive the dry air, wind shear and land interaction near the islands, the environment does become more conducive for development and strengthening off the Southeast coast mid-to-late next week.'
Heavy rainfall is expected to begin impacting the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Hispaniola this weekend.
Puerto Rico is currently ranked as having the highest risk from tropical rain and severe wind from August 27 through September 9, according to AccuWeather.
The weather service added that the entire East Coast and the Gulf Coast also face a 'low' risk of tropical rain and wind from the approaching storm, with the warning stretching from Texas to Maine.
