Tropical Storm Dolly could be in store as NHC tracks 2 Atlantic systems

Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel on Aug 24, 2026

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The National Hurricane Center on Monday was tracking two systems in the Atlantic, either one of which has a chance to spin up and become Tropical Storm Dolly this week.

As of the NHC’s 8 a.m. advisory, the system of most concern to Florida was a tropical wave that just emerged off the west coast of Africa now associated with an area of low pressure with disorganized showers and thunderstorms.

“Environmental conditions are forecast to be marginally conducive for development, and a tropical depression could form by the middle to latter portions of the week while the system moves generally westward at 15 to 20 mph across the eastern and central tropical Atlantic,” forecasters said.

The NHC gave the system a 20% chance to develop in the next two days and 60% chance to develop within seven days.

The other system being tracked by the NHC, which is no threat to Florida, could also be in line to form into a tropical depression or storm. Already labeled Invest 95, it’s a broad area of low pressure a few hundred miles east-southeast of Bermuda showing more signs of organization.

“Additional development of the low is possible, and this system could become a short-lived tropical depression or storm during the next couple of days while it moves northward and north-northeastward, well northeast of Bermuda,” forecasters said.

Forecast models show it could become a threat to Newfoundland, Canada.

The NHC gave it a 50% chance that it would develop in the next two to seven days.

Either system, if it grows strong enough, could become Tropical Storm Dolly with Tropical Storm Edouard potentially up next as well.

So far the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season, which began June 1 and runs through Nov. 30, has been slow with only three named systems: Tropical storms Arthur, Bertha and Cristobal.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration earlier this month updated its seasonal forecast and now expects between seven and 13 named storms this year. Of those, two to six would become hurricanes. It also predicted that there might not be any major hurricanes this year, or at most two.

Already, 2026 was forecast to have lower-than-average storm generation, and that has been reduced even further with the latest forecasts from the NOAA and other weather groups.

An average year would see 14 named storms and seven hurricanes, with three of those growing to Category 3 strength or higher.

The height of hurricane season runs from mid-August through mid-October.

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