Tropical Storm Dolly is moving quickly across the Atlantic Ocean toward the Caribbean, but forecasters expect it to lose strength and break down before making landfall this weekend.
The National Hurricane Center reported Friday morning that the storm had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph and was traveling westward at about 24 mph. While Dolly is currently maintaining tropical storm strength, satellite images show the system is already starting to lose its organized shape.
Dry air and strong upper-level winds are stopping the storm from growing. Forecasters noted that these rough conditions, along with the storm’s fast forward speed, will cause it to gradually weaken into an open trough of low pressure.
“In fact, all of the reliable models show the storm gradually losing strength and degenerating into a trough of low pressure before it reaches the Lesser Antilles this weekend,” the Hurricane Center stated.
Even if Dolly falls apart, its leftover moisture will still bring stormy weather to parts of the Caribbean. The Leeward Islands could see heavy rainfall starting late Saturday into Sunday, which may trigger flash flooding across higher elevations and mountain areas.
The moisture and gusty winds are expected to spread across the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Hispaniola through Sunday and Monday before the system completely disappears early next week.
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