The National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida has upgraded Tropical Storm Epsilon to Hurricane Epsilon, the tenth hurricane of the record-breaking 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season. Only 4 other years in the satellite era which began in 1966 have there been 10 or more hurricanes in the Atlantic basin by this date: 1969, 1995, 2005, and 2017. Epsilon was used only once before as a hurricane name in 2005, when it became the 27th named storm of that season. The 2005 hurricane season produced one more named storm that year: Zeta, which formed on December 30.
Hurricane Epsilon is now located about 545 miles east-southeast of Bermuda. With winds of 75 mph, Epsilon is a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson wind scale. The estimated minimum central pressure is 987 mb or 29.15 inches.
Epsilon is forecast to brush east of Bermuda in the coming days. Right now, it’s moving toward the northwest near 13 mph. This general motion is expected to continue tonight, followed by a slightly slower west-northwestward motion on Wednesday. A turn toward the north-northwest is expected on Thursday. On the forecast track, Epsilon is forecast to move closer to Bermuda on Thursday and make its closest approach to the island on Thursday night.
While Hurricane Epsilon is forecast to pick up additional strength over the next 48 hours, only tropical storm force winds should brush by Bermuda. Because of that, the government there has placed the island under a Tropical Storm Watch. Tropical Storm force conditions could impact Bermuda beginning on Thursday.
