MIAMI - Hurricane Epsilon finally weakened into a tropical storm on Wednesday, several days after forecasters had expected the stubborn 26th tropical cyclone of a record-breaking Atlantic hurricane season to fade away.
Tropical Storm Epsilon, which had never been a threat to land, was about 995 miles (1,605 km) southwest of Portugal's Azores islands by 10 p.m. EST (0300 GMT).
Its maximum sustained winds had dropped to 65 mph (100 kph), below the 74 (119 kph) threshold at which tropical storms are categorized as hurricanes, and it was expected to be absorbed by a cold front by Friday.
The six-month hurricane season officially ended on Nov. 30.
This year's 26 tropical storms broke the record of 21 set in 1933. Epsilon was the 14th hurricane, beating a record of 12 set in 1969.
Noted hurricane forecaster William Gray said on Tuesday the 2006 hurricane season was unlikely to be quite as busy. He predicted 17 tropical storms with nine of them growing into hurricanes.
REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
