Subtropical Storm Theta makes 2020 a record year for named storms

Nov. 10 (UPI) -- Spinning far out over the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Tropical Storm Theta officially formed on Tuesday afternoon, transitioning from the subtropical storm that had taken shape on Monday night. Theta pushed the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season into uncharted waters, with no other season in history having produced so many named storms.

The 2020 season has now seen 29 named storms churned out, breaking the single-season record of 28 storms from the infamous 2005 season, which produced powerhouse hurricanes such as Katrina, Wilma and Rita.

Theta's sustained wind speeds were 65 mph during the early morning hours on Thursday, the National Hurricane Centersaid. The storm was about 470 miles south-southwest of the Azores archipelago and chugging east-northeastward at 12 mph.

Theta's formation also marked another impressive feat -- the latest in the calendar year that two storms were swirling simultaneously in the Atlantic basin since Nov. 10, 1932, according to Philip Klotzbach, a meteorologist at Colorado State University. Eta made landfall near Cedar Key, Florida around 4 A.M. early Thursday morning. This followed its first U.S. landfall in the Florida Keys on Sunday evening. Theta then became classified as a subtropical storm on Monday night.

Theta may have already peaked in strength.

Hurricane season doesn't officially end until Nov. 30.

In its 10 a.m. EST update, the National Hurricane Center said Theta was located about 860 miles southwest of the Azores and had maximum sustained winds of 70 mph, just 4 mph below hurricane strength. It was moving east at 15 mph.

Theta follows Tropical Storm Eta, which passed over the southern tip of Florida last weekend and is now in the Gulf of Mexico.