BEAUMONT, Texas — Tropical Storm Dolly has formed in the Atlantic. The good news is the storm is hundreds of miles away from the North East coast and Dolly is expected to become post-tropical by Wednesday.
Tropical Storm Dolly has sustained winds at 45 mph. The storm is currently 370 miles SSE of Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Dolly is moving east-northeast at 13 mph.
"A turn toward the northeast with an increase in forward speed is expected tonight and on Wednesday," the National Hurricane Center said in its 11 a.m. advisory Tuesday.
The NHC says weakening is forecast during the next day or two as Dolly moves over colder waters. Dolly is expected to be short-lived and become post-tropical Wednesday before dissipating by early Thursday.
What is Subtropical & post-tropical?
A subtropical storm exhibits features of both tropical and non-tropical systems, according to the National Hurricane Center glossary.
Like tropical cyclones, they are non-frontal, synoptic-scale cyclones that originate over tropical or subtropical waters, and have a closed surface wind circulation about a well-defined center. In addition, they have organized moderate to deep convection, but lack a central dense overcast.
Unlike tropical cyclones, subtropical cyclones derive a significant proportion of their energy from baroclinic sources, and are generally cold-core in the upper troposphere, often being associated with an upper-level low or trough.
In comparison to tropical cyclones, these systems generally have a radius of maximum winds occurring relatively far from the center (usually greater than 60 n mi), and generally have a less symmetric wind field and distribution of convection.
A post-tropical storm is a former tropical cyclone. It's a generic term that describes a storm that no longer possesses sufficient tropical characteristics, the NHC says.
Post-tropical cyclones can continue carrying heavy rains and high winds.
2020 HURRICANE SEASON
Dolly is the fourth named storm of the 2020 Atlantic Hurricane season, which began June 1. Two of those storms, Arthur and Bertha, formed in May.
Cristobal was the earliest third named storm on record in the Atlantic Basin. The previous record was Tropical Storm Colin which formed on June 5, 2016. This is also now the sixth hurricane season in a row with at least one named storm before hurricane season officially began.
RELATED: Bertha becomes post-tropical cyclone
NOAA has forecast an above-average hurricane season.
NOAA predicts there will be 13 to 19 named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher), of which six to 10 could become hurricanes (74 mph or higher). NOAA forecasts that there could be between three to six major hurricanes (Storms that reach category 3 or above).
