Epsilon (2005)

Hurricane Epsilon formed from a non-tropical upper-level low in the central subtropical Atlantic. A surface low developed late on 27 November about 1,000 nautical miles east of Bermuda, and organized convection wrapped around the center on 29 November, when the system became a tropical storm. Epsilon moved generally west-southwestward, executed a small loop on 1 December, then turned northeast and became a hurricane on 2 December about 850 nmi east-northeast of Bermuda. It moved eastward and then southwestward under changing steering patterns before weakening and degenerating to a remnant low by 8–9 December. The cyclone existed as a tropical system from 29 November to 8 December 2005.

Epsilon did not make any landfalls. Its track remained over the open central and eastern Atlantic and it stayed well away from land throughout its lifetime.

The storm’s maximum sustained winds peaked at 75 knots (about 85 mph) early on 5 December, with a minimum central pressure estimated at 981 mb. That peak intensity corresponded to a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson scale. Epsilon remained a hurricane for five days, a record length of time for a December hurricane in the Atlantic.

There were no reports of storm surge or rainfall impacts tied directly to Epsilon at land locations in the NHC report. No ship reports of tropical-storm-force winds were associated directly with Epsilon’s circulation; gales had been reported earlier with the precursor non-tropical low.

There were no reported deaths or damage associated with Epsilon. The storm’s impacts on populated areas were negligible because it stayed over open water.

Noteworthy aspects include its late-season timing (only the sixth hurricane on record in December for the Atlantic), its five-day duration as a hurricane in December (a record), and some forecasting challenges: track forecasts were better than long-term averages through 72 hours but larger errors occurred at longer ranges when the southwestward turn was not anticipated, and intensity forecasts generally underpredicted how long Epsilon would maintain hurricane strength.