Days after the death of country music legend Dolly Parton, a tropical wave in the Atlantic Ocean could soon share her name, according to meteorologists. Dolly is the next name on this year’s list of hurricanes, a rotation that repeats every six years.

Storm Development Chances

The National Hurricane Center is monitoring two stormy areas in the Atlantic, according to a report from the New York Times. The first area to become organized enough for a name — when winds reach 39 mph — will be called Dolly, followed by Edouard.

One of the monitored waves has a high chance of developing into a tropical storm or hurricane within the next two days, with a high likelihood of development within seven days if it does not happen sooner. The storm will likely be named Tropical Storm Dolly and could become Hurricane Dolly if it intensifies.

Forecasters have given one potential storm a 40% chance of formation, which could occur as soon as Wednesday night. Another system off the west coast of Africa has a 70% chance of becoming a named storm in the coming days.

Dolly Parton’s Death

Dolly Parton died on Aug. 25. Her nephew, Bryan Seaver, revealed the news of her death in a Facebook video, according to reports from WCAX and Gray News.

A Historical Name

The name Dolly has a long history in storm naming, dating back to before modern practices were standardized. Meteorologists began giving storms human names in the years following World War II. Since then, nine Atlantic storms have been called Dolly.

The first Dolly was in 1946 — the same year Parton was born in Sevier County, Tennessee. That storm was a typhoon that skirted the Philippines and Taiwan before making landfall in eastern China.

In 1953, when the U.S. Weather Bureau — a precursor to today’s National Weather Service — began naming Atlantic storms, Dolly was one of the first names used. That year, Dolly formed near Puerto Rico, became a hurricane, and weakened to a tropical storm as it made landfall in Bermuda.

Dolly was used again in 1954 and 1968. In 1996, it joined the six-year cycle of names used today, appearing in 2002, 2008, 2014, 2020, and likely 2026. Hurricane Dolly in 2008 is notable for becoming a Category 2 storm before moving into southern Texas. Names are retired when a storm causes history-making destruction.

Season Outlook

This year’s Atlantic hurricane season has been sluggish, partly because the El Niño weather pattern has suppressed storm formation. Historically, the region of the Atlantic where these systems develop becomes more active in late August and September. Tropical waves typically move off the coast of Africa or form in the Gulf, following a clockwise path that can bring the Eastern Seaboard into focus. Most tropical storms and hurricanes that have affected Vermont and the Northeast have occurred in August and September.

While it is too early to determine the threat level or path of any potential storm, forecasters are keeping a close watch on the two areas in the Atlantic.