Tropical Storm Dolly, which this paper reported forming Thursday as the fourth named storm of a season running far below normal, had already degenerated into an open tropical wave by late Friday morning — done in by the same El Niño-driven wind shear and dry air that has shredded every other Atlantic system this year. [1]

What survives Dolly's collapse is the rain. Forecasters expect the remnant moisture to reach the Leeward Islands Saturday night or Sunday, bringing locally heavy rainfall through Monday across Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Hispaniola. [1] For Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, both gripped by extreme drought, the soaking is the most welcome rain event the region has seen in months, even as forecasters warn the same downpours could trigger flash flooding in hilly terrain. [1]

A handful of computer models suggest the leftover wave could try to redevelop near the Bahamas or Bermuda later next week, though forecasters call that premature to assess. [1] Even without redevelopment, the wave is expected to keep producing gusty winds and heavy rain as it tracks west-northwest across the Lesser Antilles, Cuba and the Bahamas. [1]

The 2026 Atlantic season remains the quietest start in nearly 40 years — three short-lived tropical storms and no hurricanes through late August — as the season's peak in mid-September approaches.

-- DARA OSEI, London