Tropical Storm Erick (2007)

**Tropical Storm Erick**
Tropical storm (SSHS)
	; Tropical Storm Erick on August 1
Formed	July 31, 2007
Dissipated	August 2, 2007
	40 mph (65 km/h) (1-minute sustained)
Lowest pressure	1004 mbar (hPa; 29.66 inHg)
Fatalities	None reported
Damage	None
Areas; affected	No land areas
	Part of the; 2007 Pacific hurricane season

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This article is about the Eastern Pacific tropical storm of 2007. For other storms of the same name, see Tropical Storm Erick.

This is a sub-article to 2007 Pacific hurricane season.

Tropical Storm Erick was the eighth tropical cyclone of the 2007 Pacific hurricane season, and the fifth to attain tropical storm status. Erick originated from a tropical wave that moved off the coast of Africa, traveled westward across the Atlantic, and emerged into the Eastern Pacific Ocean without any further development. The wave spawned a small low-pressure system on July 28, which matured into a tropical depression later that day despite strong wind shear in the region. The depression intensified into a tropical storm, and received the name "Erick" while continuing its westward track. However, the shear did not allow the storm to gain more strength, and broke up the storm's structure within a few days. The cyclone weakened to a tropical depression and degenerated into a remnant low shortly after. Because the storm remained far out at sea, no damage was reported in association with Erick.

[edit] Meteorological history

The track of Tropical Storm Erick. Baja California and Mexico can be seen on the far top-right.

In the middle of July 2007, a tropical wave emerged from the coast of Africa and traveled westward across the Atlantic Ocean. On July 22, the wave passed through the Lesser Antilles with some strong, yet disorganized thunderstorm activity.^[1] The wave crossed Central America three days later and entered the Eastern Pacific Ocean, where it later spawned a small low pressure area. Wind shear prevented tropical cyclone development for a few days, leaving the area of atmospheric convection, or thunderstorms, separated from the low. The convection began to form closer to the center of the storm, and the system had become sufficiently organized to be designated as Tropical Depression Eight-E by Miami's National Hurricane Center on July 31. At the time the depression was located 1,060 miles (1,700 km) southwest of the southern tip of Baja California.^[2]

The convection remained concentrated on the western edge of the storm because of the shear and the presence of dry air.^[3] Dvorak intensity estimates showed that the storm's winds had accelerated, so the depression was upgraded to a tropical storm, and given the name "Erick" twelve hours later, at 0000 UTC on August 1; it became the fifth named storm of the 2007 Pacific hurricane season.^[4]^[5]^[6] At the time of its upgrade, Erick attained its peak winds of 40 mph (65 km/h) and a minimum central pressure of 1004 mbar (hPa; 29.66 inHg).^[2] The wind shear did not relent, and the cyclone maintained a disorganized structure with a lack of banding features. Although the exact position of the center of circulation was difficult for forecasters to establish, it was estimated that the storm was tracking westward at around 10 mph (17 km/h) under the steering currents of a mid-level ridge located to the north of the system.^[7] Later on August 1, the strong shear separated the center from the waning area of thunderstorm activity, indicating that the storm was deteriorating.^[8] Erick weakened back to a tropical depression on August 2, only 24 hours after it had become a tropical storm.^[2]^[9]

Tropical Storm Erick on August 1

The low-level center then became elongated and ill-defined;^[10] the depression continued to weaken quickly, and it had degenerated back into a tropical wave on August 2, thousands of miles from land.^[11] A weak low pressure system formed along the wave, although it did not reorganize into a tropical cyclone as it entered the North Central Pacific.^[2] On August 5, the low-level remnants of Tropical Storm Erick passed south of Hawaii, although they caused no effects on the islands.^[12] The low dissipated fully on August 8. According to the storm's Tropical Cyclone Report, the National Hurricane Center considered that it had poorly forecast Erick's evolution. In particular, the storm formed without significant warning, and dissipated similarly.^[2]

[edit] Impact and statistics

See also: Lists of tropical cyclone names

Because Erick remained, according to NHC forecaster Richard Pasch, "very far away from everywhere", no effects, property damage or fatalities were reported; no ships were affected, and no tropical cyclone warnings and watches were issued.^[2]^[13] According to the National Climatic Data Center, Tropical Storm Erick had an Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) of 0.8575. This value—an approximation of the kinetic energy used by a tropical system throughout its existence—was the second lowest of the season, just slightly larger than Tropical Storm Alvin's ACE of 0.6125.^[14] When Tropical Depression Eight-E was upgraded to Tropical Storm Erick, it was the fifth use of the name Erick in the Eastern Pacific. Due to the lack of any impact, the name was not retired, and is scheduled to be reused for the fifth named storm of the 2013 Pacific hurricane season. Eastern North Pacific naming follows the same scheme as the North Atlantic, but with its own lists. The present naming system was introduced a year earlier than the Atlantic system, when List IV was used anomalously in 1978, but List I was used in 1979 in parallel with that in the Atlantic.^[15]