The National Hurricane Center reports that Tropical Storm Dolly is maintaining its strength this morning as it speeds westward across the central tropical Atlantic.

As of the latest NHC advisory, the system is located about 1,145 miles east of the Leeward Islands, packing maximum sustained winds of 40 miles per hour. Moving quickly at 24 miles per hour, the storm's tropical-storm-force winds have expanded outward to 115 miles from its center.

Hostile atmospheric conditions, including increasing vertical wind shear and dry air, are expected to take a toll on the system. Forecasters project that Dolly will gradually lose strength and degenerate into a post-tropical wave before making landfall.

Despite the expected weakening, the NHC warns that Dolly's remnants could still deliver heavy downpours and gusty winds to the Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico, and Hispaniola late Saturday through Monday, risking flash flooding in higher terrain. While there are no current coastal watches or warnings, and the storm poses no immediate threat to the United States, meteorologists urge interests in the eastern Caribbean to monitor its progress closely.

Operation Storm Watch