The next Atlantic storm will be named Dolly, but it's not connected to Parton's death

MIAMI (AP) — The next tropical storm that develops in the Atlantic this hurricane season will be named Dolly, but the timing is pure coincidence and has no connection to Dolly Parton’s death Tuesday.

Storm systems are named by procedures set by the World Meteorological Organization, and the lists of names are reused every six years. For the Atlantic region, the lists are alphabetical and alternate male and female names.

This season started with Tropical Storm Arthur coming ashore on the U.S. Gulf Coast in June, and Tropical Storm Bertha dumped rain in Louisiana and Texas in July. Tropical Storm Cristobal formed and quickly dissipated in the Atlantic earlier in August.

The National Hurricane Center was monitoring a weather system off Africa that may strengthen into a named tropical storm.

Conditions were favorable for the area of thunderstorms south of the Cabo Verde Islands to become a tropical depression sometime in the next week, forecasters at the Miami-based center said Tuesday evening.

If it further develops, with maximum sustained winds of at least 39 mph (63 kph), the system would be named Tropical Storm Dolly.

Forecasters said another weather system in the Atlantic far northeast of Bermuda was disorganized Tuesday and had a poor chance of further development.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has forecast a below-average Atlantic hurricane season due to El Nino. It forecast eight to 14 named storms, with three to six of them reaching hurricane strength and one to three of those intensifying to major hurricanes.

The NHC and other weather agencies name storms to easily communicate warnings about them to people and to avoid confusion. The WMO says names are chosen to be short, easy to pronounce and familiar to the regions of the world where the storm names are used. It meets regularly to evaluate potential names, and some names are retired for reasons of sensitivity, particularly for deadly or destructive storms.

One name from the 2025 season was retired, Melissa, which was a Category 5 hurricane that brought devastation to the Caribbean.

Actor Gregg Donovan kneels over Dolly Parton's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

This NOAA satellite image taken at 11:21 a.m. EST on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, shows Tropical Storm Cristobal in the Atlantic Ocean. (NOAA via AP)

SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle slugger Cal Raleigh homered in his first at-bat against the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night and tied a Mariners' record with homers in four consecutive at-bats.

Raleigh led off the second inning against Philadelphia's Aaron Nola with a 362-foot shot to right field for his 18th homer of the season.

The four-homer streak matched the Seattle record set by Mike Cameron on May 2, 2002.

The homer came in Raleigh’s first at-bat after the switch-hitting catcher hit three homers in a 9-2 win against the Phillies on Monday night. Raleigh walked in his next plate appearance in the fourth inning, and the streak ended in the sixth with a strikeout against Nola.

The Mariners beat the Phillies 4-1.

Raleigh had struggled all season after finishing as the runner-up for the AL MVP last year with 60 home runs. He entered the series against Philadelphia with a .159 batting average and 14 homers. On Monday, he was 3 for 3 with a walk between the first and second homers.

The Mariners' team record for homers in a two-game span is five, set by Edgar Martinez on May 17-18, 1999. The last Seattle player to hit four home runs over two consecutive games was Kenji Johjima on June 24-27, 2006.

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Fans vie for the solo home run hit by Seattle Mariners' Cal Raleigh during the second inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Seattle Mariners' Cal Raleigh jogs the bases after hitting a solo home run against the Philadelphia Phillies during the second inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Seattle Mariners' Cal Raleigh jogs the bases after hitting a solo home run against the Philadelphia Phillies during the second inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Seattle Mariners' Cal Raleigh hits a solo home run during the second inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)