MIAMI - Stubborn Hurricane Epsilon clung to life in the Atlantic Ocean on Wednesday, days after forecasters predicted its demise.
The 26th storm of the record-breaking Atlantic hurricane season was no immediate threat to any land area but was still a hurricane with 75 mph (120 kph) winds.
At 10 a.m. (1500 GMT), Epsilon was about 875 miles (1,410 km) southwest of the Azores and was moving southwest at about 15 mph (24 kph), the US National Hurricane Center said.
The six-month hurricane season officially ended on Nov. 30, the day after Epsilon was born. Forecasters said Epsilon was expected to weaken in the next 24 hours.
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.
On Tuesday, noted hurricane forecaster William Gray said 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
