A tropical wave, which had also created Tropical Depression Six, combined itself with an upper-level low pressure area to create an area of deep convection near Hispaniola on July 23, 2003. A mid- to lower-level circulation started to form inside the storm as it moved mostly in a north-northwest direction. According to surface and satellite observations, it is thought that the system became Tropical Depression Seven at 1200 UTC on July 25 about 60 miles (95 km) east of Daytona Beach, Florida. The system was caught in an environment characterized by high surface pressures.