Tropical Storm Zeta Forms Soutwest of Azores

Posted on December 30, 2005

This year's record breaking hurricane season has one trick left: Tropical Storm Zeta. The National Hurricane Center announced Zeta's presence this afternoon.

Zeta is a minimal tropical storm with winds of 45mph located far away from the U.S. coast -- currently over 1,065 miles southwest of the Azores. Zeta may be short-lived according to the NHC's latest discussion:

DVORAK CLASSIFICATIONS AT 18Z WERE T3.0...OR 45 KT...FROM TAFB AND SAB...WHILE AFWA GAVE ZETA A SUBTROPICAL T2.5 CLASSIFICATION. BASED ON THESE CLASSIFICATIONS...THE INITIAL INTENSITY IS HELD AT 45 KT. THE WELL-DEFINED BANDING STRUCTURES SEEN THIS MORNING HAVE ALREADY BECOME RAGGED...AND WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS DRY WESTERLIES BEGINNING TO IMPINGE ON THE WESTERN PORTION OF THE CIRCULATION. WHILE THERE COULD BE BRIEF ADDITIONAL DEVELOPMENT DURING TONIGHT'S CONVECTIVE MAXIMUM...STRONG WESTERLIES ARE NOT FAR FROM THE CYCLONE AND SHOULD OVERTAKE ZETA WITHIN 24 HOURS.

Zeta may not even survive into the new year. The good news is that the 2005 hurricane season will end with Zeta and that many residents of Florida and the Gulf Coast states will be happy to see it go.

HURRICANES