HURRICANES
Hurricane Center warns tropical depression likely to form soon
Next named storm of Atlantic hurricane season wasn’t named after Dolly Parton
Cheryl McCloudUSA TODAY NETWORK – Florida
Updated Aug. 26, 2026, 8:45 a.m. ET
- Invest 96L could become a tropical depression in the next day or two.
- The next named storm of the season will be Dolly.
- The name has nothing to do with the country music icon Dolly Parton, who died Aug. 25.
While you slept, Invest 95L ran into “hostile” conditions and is no longer expected to strengthen
The same can’t be said for Invest 96L, which could become a tropical depression in the next day or two, although chances for development have dropped slightly
Forecasters continue to warn people to be prepared and not wait until a storm is threatening to pick up necessary supplies
Mid-August through mid-October is the busiest period of the Atlantic hurricane season
Shop Amazon for hurricane prep
The next named storm of the season will be Dolly, which is not connected to country music icon Dolly Parton, who died Aug. 25
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Here’s the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center as of  8 a.m., Aug. 26
Tropical Storm Dolly has no connection to Dolly Parton
The fourth-named storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season — when it does develop — will be Dolly
The name has nothing to do with Dolly Parton, the country music icon who died Aug. 25
The World Meteorological Organization maintains and selects names for tropical cyclones, which are rotated every six years
The organization will remove a hurricane name from a list “if a storm is so deadly or costly that the future use of its name on a different storm would be inappropriate for reasons of sensitivity.”
Eight names starting with D have been retired
Dolly replaced Diana after that name was retired in 1990. Diana made landfall in Mexico Aug. 5 and again Aug. 7, 1990, as a Category 2 hurricane and reportedly killed 96 people in the state of Veracruz
Will Invest 96L become Tropical Storm Dolly?
An area of low pressure, associated with a tropical wave, is located a few hundred miles southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands. Showers and thunderstorms associated with this system remain disorganized
➤ Track Invest 96L
Environmental conditions are somewhat favorable for development over the next couple of days, and a tropical depression could form over the next day or two as the system moves westward to west-northwestward across the eastern and central tropical Atlantic
Environmental conditions are forecast to become less favorable by this weekend, potentially ending its chances for development
- Formation chance through 48 hours: medium, 60 percent
- Formation chance through 7 days: medium, 60 percent
Spaghetti models for Invest 96L
Special note about spaghetti models:Â Illustrations include an array of forecast tools and models, and not all are created equal. The Hurricane Center uses only the top four or five highest performing models to help make its forecasts.Â
What is an invest?
Short for investigation, the National Hurricane Center uses the term invest for areas of low pressure it is monitoring for potential development into a tropical depression or storm
Invests are not tropical depressions or tropical storms. They’re usually clusters of showers and thunderstorms, and just because they’ve been designated as an invest does not guarantee they’ll strengthen into a tropical storm or hurricane
Invests run from 90 to 99, followed by a letter:Â L for the Atlantic basin and E for those in the eastern Pacific. After 99, it starts over again and the next invest would be 90
Once something has been designated as an invest, specialized data sets and computer models can begin, including scheduling Hurricane Hunter aircraft missions and running spaghetti models
Could Invest 96L threaten Florida, US?
Invest 96L is likely to become a tropical depression over the next couple of days, according to the National Hurricane Center
After that, chances for further development are expected to drop by the weekend
“The wave moving westward across the Atlantic has a high chance of becoming a tropical depression later this week,” said AccuWeather lead hurricane expert Alex DaSilva
“If it develops and strengthens, it will have a greater chance of turning northward.”
National Hurricane Center tracking 2 tropical waves in Atlantic basin
In addition to Invest 96L, forecasters also are watching two tropical waves:
- A central Atlantic tropical wave is along 57W, south of 21N, moving westward at 11 to 17 mph.
- A central Caribbean Sea tropical wave is along 72W, south of 20N, moving westward at 11 to 17 mph.
What is a tropical wave?
“Tropical waves are clusters of showers and thunderstorms that act as the seedlings for many tropical storms throughout the Atlantic season,” said DaSilva
“There are about 60 tropical waves that move across the Atlantic each year, and roughly 10 percent to 15 percent of them develop into a tropical system. That’s about one in seven
“Tropical waves are important because they contribute to about 80 percent of all major hurricanes.”
Is there a hurricane coming to Florida?
No. While Invest 96L could strengthen into a tropical depression, it is not expected to become a tropical storm or hurricane as of Aug. 26
Tropical activity expected to remain below normal
Colorado State University issues two-week forecasts during the peak of hurricane season
In its Aug. 19 forecast, CSU predicted a 70% chance of below-normal hurricane activity in the Atlantic over the next couple of weeks. Chances of near-normal activity was 28% and above-normal was 2%
What do the colored, hatched areas on the NHC map mean?
The hatched areas on the National Hurricane Center’s tropical outlook map indicate “areas where a tropical cyclone — which could be a tropical depression, tropical storm or hurricane — could develop,” said National Hurricane Center Deputy Director Jamie Rhome
➤ Hurricane Center is testing new cone: What’s changing the season
The colors make it visibly clear how likely a system could develop, with orange medium and red high. In 2026, the tropical outlook will use a gray X to indicate disturbances with a low chance for development
The National Hurricane Center generally doesn’t issue tropical advisories until there is a named storm, but there is an exception
“If a system is near land and there is potential for development, the National Hurricane Center won’t wait before it issues advisories, even if the system hasn’t become an actual storm. This gives residents time to prepare,” Rhome said
When is hurricane season in Florida?
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30
Ninety-seven percent of tropical cyclone activity occurs during this time period, NOAA said
➤ Hurricane Center testing new cone: What’s changing this season?
The Atlantic basin includes the northern Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of America, as the Gulf of Mexico is now known in the U.S. per an order from President Trump. NOAA and the National Hurricane Center are now using Gulf of America on its maps and in its advisories
Countdown clock to end of 2026 Atlantic hurricane season
Florida weather radar for Aug. 26, 2026
Weather watches and warnings issued in Florida
When is the peak of Atlantic hurricane season?
The peak of the season is Sept. 10, with the most activity happening between mid-August and mid-October, according to the Hurricane Center
What are names for 2026 Atlantic hurricane season?
Here are the names for the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season and how to pronounce them:
- Arthur: Tropical Storm Arthur formed June 17, 2026
- Bertha: Tropical Storm Bertha formed July 20, 2026
- Cristobal: Tropical Storm Cristobal formed Aug. 12
- Dolly, DAH-lee (fourth-named storm historically forms Aug. 15)
- Edouard, eh-DWARD
- Fay, fay
- Gonzalo, gohn-SAH-loh
- Hanna, HAN-uh
- Isaias, ees-ah-EE-ahs
- Josephine, JOH-seh-feen
- Kyle, KY-ull
- Leah, LEE-ah
- Marco, MAR-koe
- Nana, NA-na
- Omar, OH-mar
- Paulette, pawl-LET
- Rene, re-NAY
- Sally, SAL-ee
- Teddy, TEHD-ee
- Vicky, VIH-kee
- Wilfred, WILL-fred
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We will continue to update our tropical weather coverage to bring you the most current information you need to protect your home and family
This story has been updated to include new information
Cheryl McCloud is a journalist for the USA TODAY Network-Florida’s service journalism Connect team. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://naplesnews.com/newsletters
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