Columbia, SC (WLTX) - The first tropical system of 2017 has formed in the deep Atlantic, but isn't expected to be a threat to land.
The system became organized enough to be classified as a subtropical depression Wednesday morning. The National Hurricane Center says the storm won't last long or intensify greatly. By Thursday, it's expected to be absorbed into a extratropical low.
The system is so far out it's actually closer to Europe and Africa that it is to the United States.
A subtropical depression is essentially the same thing as a tropical depression; however, there are some structural differences which causes forecasters to classify it slightly differently.
The 2017 Atlantic Hurricane season does not officially begin until June 1.
