Four (2017)

A tropical wave that moved off Africa on 1 July organized into a small cyclone east of the Lesser Antilles and became Tropical Depression Four at 1800 UTC on 5 July 2017. The system moved generally westward across the eastern tropical Atlantic in a dry, hostile environment and weakened as wind shear increased. Most convection had dissipated and the depression degenerated back into a tropical wave by 1800 UTC on 7 July, giving it a lifetime of about two days as a tropical depression.

There were no landfalls associated with this system; it remained well east of the Lesser Antilles throughout its short life and dissipated before reaching any islands or coastlines. Because it never approached land, no coastal watches or warnings were issued.

The depression’s maximum sustained winds never exceeded 25 knots (about 29 mph), and the lowest estimated central pressure was 1009 mb. It did not reach tropical storm strength and therefore was not assigned a hurricane or tropical storm category.

Storm surge and rainfall impacts were not reported. Because the system remained over open water and was weak, there were no measured storm surge heights or significant rainfall totals tied to the depression at named locations.

There were no reports of damage or casualties attributable to Tropical Depression Four. The system caused no known impacts on populated areas.

Noteworthy details: satellite and scatterometer data supported the low peak intensity, and the National Hurricane Center first mentioned the potential for development up to a week before formation. Forecast verification statistics are limited because of the storm’s short duration and the small number of official forecasts.