Tropical Storm Dolly Forms in Atlantic; Heavy Rain Could Reach USVI Sunday Into Monday

Tropical Storm Dolly formed over the central tropical Atlantic Thursday and was racing westward at 24 mph Thursday evening, with forecasters expecting the system to weaken before reaching the Leeward Islands but warning that its moisture could bring heavy rainfall into the U.S. Virgin Islands Sunday and Monday. At 5:00 p.m. AST, the National Hurricane Center placed Dolly’s center near latitude 13.7 North, longitude 40.7 West, approximately 1,425 miles east of the Leeward Islands. Maximum sustained winds were near 40 mph, with higher gusts, while tropical-storm-force winds extended outward up to 60 miles from the center. There were no tropical cyclone watches or warnings in effect, and the National Weather Service in San Juan said none had been issued for Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands as of the 5 p.m. update. Dolly was moving due west near 24 mph, and that rapid motion is expected to continue over the next couple of days. On the current forecast track, the system should ap...