Epsilon strengthens to a hurricane as it approaches Bermuda

MIAMI – Epsilon has strengthened into a hurricane, the 10th of the Atlantic season, as it approaches Bermuda on Thursday.

Epsilon is expected to make its closest approach to the island on Thursday night, and there is a risk of a direct impact, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. A tropical storm watch is in effect for Bermuda and residents have been urged to closely monitor the storm.

The Miami-based hurricane centre said Epsilon had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph) late Tuesday. The storm was located about 545 miles (877 kilometres) east-southeast of Bermuda as of 11 p.m. EDT and it was moving northwest at 13 mph (20 kph).

This year’s hurricane season has had so many storms that the Hurricane Center has turned to the Greek alphabet for storm names after running out of official names.

Epsilon also represents a record for the earliest 26th named storm, beating out a storm on Nov. 22 in 2005, according to Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach.