Subtropical Depression Four formed along the Gulf Stream on Monday afternoon, and strengthened into Tropical Storm Dolly on Tuesday morning. Dolly is the fourth named storm of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season. Dolly is no threat to land, and will likely become a remnant low on Wednesday.

As of 5:00 p.m. EDT Tuesday, Tropical Storm Dolly was centered near 40.1°N 61.1°W, and was moving east-northeastward at about 12 mph. Maximum sustained winds were 40 knots (45 mph), with an estimated minimum pressure of 1002 mb. Although a warm spot has occasionally been present on visible satellite imagery, it is likely not a true eye feature, and Dolly’s convective activity already appears to be decreasing in intensity. Dolly is moving over sea surface temperatures cooler than 22°C (71.6°F), and convection should continue to erode between now and Wednesday morning. Dolly should become a post-tropical remnant low on Wednesday morning, and should dissipate in about 36-48 hours south of Newfoundland.

So far, the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season has been much more active than average. Dolly is tied with Tropical Storm Debby of 2012 as the second-earliest fourth named storm for the Atlantic basin. Interestingly, Dolly has formed 10 weeks earlier than the last time it was used in 2014, when Tropical Storm Dolly was named on September 2. Although early-season activity is not particularly correlated with overall seasonal activity, nearly all expert groups are predicting an above average or possibly even hyperactive Atlantic hurricane this year.