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Tropical Storm Zeta was the late-developing twenty-seventh named storm of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. It extended the record number of storms in a season to 27. Zeta developed on December 30 and persisted into January of the Template:Tcseason. It finally weakened into a remnant low and dissipated on January 6, 2006.

Storm history

Early on December 30, 2005, more than four weeks after the official end to the season, a tropical disturbance developed in the east-central Atlantic from a frontal trough. It quickly became more organized and was declared a tropical storm that afternoon. Tropical Storm Zeta made a turn toward the west but stalled and weakened slightly. Zeta's winds remained at 50 mph until January 2, when Zeta appeared to be on the way towards dissipation — only to flare up again when winds were upgraded to 60 mph. Zeta continued to strengthen through January 3, reaching its peak intensity with winds of 65 mph and a pressure of 994 mbar.

On January 4, Zeta's convection began to die down and the circulation center became exposed. This led to Zeta's steady and rapid weakening trend which brought the maximum sustained winds down to 40 mph late on January 4, making Zeta a minimal tropical storm. The loss of convection was due to a combination of strong westerly shear and dry air entering the storm's circulation. Early on January 5, Zeta weakened briefly to a depression before regaining minimal tropical storm strength. Zeta continued to move west-northwestward, barely holding on to tropical storm status before becoming disorganized again. Zeta was once again downgraded to a tropical depression on January 6, and the National Hurricane Center issued its last advisory on Zeta late that afternoon.

Zeta was one of the latest-forming tropical cyclones ever to develop in the recorded history of Atlantic hurricane seasons, likely tied with Hurricane Alice of 1954-55, which is estimated to have become tropical on December 30, 1954 at 1 ] EST (0600 UTC). It is also only the second North Atlantic storm in recorded history (after Alice) to exist in two calendar years as it survived into 2006. No tropical cyclones are known to have formed during January, although an unnamed subtropical storm formed on January 18 during the Template:Tcseason. In addition, Zeta surpassed Alice as the longest-lived tropical cyclone to form in December and cross over into the next year, and it was also the longest-lived January tropical cyclone.

Zeta was never a threat to land, but it affected several of the crews that took part in the Atlantic Rowing Race with heavy seas and strong adverse winds.

See also

Template:Tcportal

• List of notable tropical cyclones

External links

• The NHC's last public advisory on Tropical Storm Zeta.
• The NHC's archive on Tropical Storm Zeta

v t e Tropical cyclones of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season
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