Tropical Storm Zeta was expected to weaken Monday as it drifted westward over the central Atlantic, AP quoted forecasters as saying. The 27th named storm of a record-breaking hurricane season, Zeta had top sustained winds near 50 mph (80 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center. Forecasters said Zeta was not expected to become a hurricane or threaten land. At 4 a.m. EST (0900GMT), the storm was centered about 1,565 miles (2,520 kilometers) east-northeast of the northern Leeward Islands and moving west near 7 mph (11 kph). A motion toward the west or west-southwest is expected during the next 24 hours. The storm developed Friday, about 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 season featured 14 hurricanes, including Katrina, which devastated Louisiana and Mississippi in August and became the most costly disaster in U.S. history. The season also saw forecasters exhaust their list of 21 proper names and begin using the Greek alphabet to name storms for the first time. Earlier this month, Hurricane Epsilon became only the fifth hurricane to form in December in 154 years of record keeping.
