A reconnaissance aircraft found westerly winds in the southeastern side of a low pressure system over the Southeastern Bahamas and was able to close off a center of circulation.  As a result the National Hurricane Center classified the low as Tropical Depression Four (TD4).  At 5:00 p.m. EDT on Saturday the center of TD4 was located at latitude 21.8°N and longitude 72.3°W which put it about 75 miles northeast of Great Inagua Island in the Bahamas and about 560 miles east-southeast of Miami, Florida.  TD4 was moving toward the northwest at 12 m.p.h.  The maximum sustained wind speed was 35 m.p.h. and the minimum surface pressure was 1005 mb.

Tropical Storm Warnings have been issued for the Southeastern Bahamas including The Acklins, Crooked Island, Long Cay, The Inaguas, Mayaguana and the Ragged Islands as well as The Turks and Caicos Islands and the Central Bahamas including Cat Island, The Exumas, Long Island, Rum Cay and San Salvador.

A small upper low north of Cuba is causing some wind shear over the western portion of TD4.  On the other hand the Sea Surface Temperatures around The Bahamas are very warm and TD4 is very likely to intensify into Tropical Storm Cristobal and eventually into a hurricane.  Since the center has just formed the motion and future track are still highly uncertain, although a general motion toward the southeastern U.S. seems likely.