The tropical storm Dolly formed this Thursday in the central Atlantic and is moving quickly westward, while the National Hurricane Center (NHC) has urged residents of the Leeward Islands to stay alert to its progression.
In its first advisory on Dolly, issued at 11:00 a.m., the NHC positioned the center of the system near latitude 13.6 north and longitude 38.7 west, about 1,555 miles (2,505 kilometers) east of the Lesser Antilles.
Dolly is presenting maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 km/h) and is moving west at about 24 mph (39 km/h). Its estimated minimum central pressure is 1,007 millibars.
For the moment, there are no watches or warnings in effect. However, the NHC explicitly stated that interests in the Lesser Antilles should monitor the progress of the storm.
The general movement toward the west is expected to continue over the next two days, and according to the projected path, Dolly will be approaching the Lesser Antilles over the weekend.
The forecast does not anticipate significant strengthening. The NHC expects little change in intensity over the next 48 hours and predicts that Dolly will weaken into a tropical wave before reaching the Lesser Antilles.
Tropical storm-force winds extend up to about 60 miles (95 kilometers) from the center.
Although the system could lose its organization before reaching the islands, its effects can still be felt in the Caribbean. The NHC warned that heavy rains associated with Dolly could begin to affect the Lesser Antilles between late Saturday and Sunday.
Precipitation could later extend to the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Hispaniola between Sunday and Monday, with the possibility of sudden flooding, especially in higher elevation areas.
The meteorological agency will issue its next full advisory on Dolly at 5:00 p.m. AST.
The formation of Dolly occurs just hours after the system reached a 90% chance of becoming a tropical cyclone.
The NHC had then anticipated that if it continued to organize, it could become a short-lived tropical storm as early as this Thursday.
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