MIAMI (AP) – Tropical Storm Zeta moved slowly westward over the central Atlantic on Monday and was expected to weaken, forecasters said.

The 27th and last named storm of the record-breaking 2005 hurricane season, Zeta had top sustained winds near 50 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. Forecasters said Zeta was not expected to become a hurricane or threaten land.

At 10 a.m. EST, the storm was centered about 1,490 miles east-northeast of the northern Leeward Islands and moving west-southwest near 8 mph.

The storm developed Friday, nearly a month after the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season officially ended. It tied a record for the latest-developing storm since record-keeping began in 1851.

The 2005 exhausted the list of 21 proper names for hurricanes, forcing forecasters to use the Greek alphabet to name storms for the first time.

Among the Greek-named storms was the first, Tropical Storm Alpha, which formed Oct. 22, and Hurricane Epsilon, which last month became only the fifth hurricane to form in December in the 154 years of record-keeping.

The 2006 season officially begins June 1, but any tropical storms that form anytime before then would be part of that tally. The first name on the list is Alberto.

Forecasters predict that hurricane seasons will be more active than usual for at least another decade.

Tropical systems become named storms when sustained wind reaches 39 mph, and hurricanes when the wind hits 74 mph.

—

On the Net:

National Hurricane Center: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

Copy the Story Link