But unlike several of the earlier killer hurricanes, Epsilon did not appear to threaten land, churning over the open ocean 1,065 kilometers (1,220 miles) west of the Azores, according to the Miami-based National Hurricane Center.

The hurricane packed maximum sustained winds of 120 kilometers (75 miles) per hour, and was likely to start weakening later Friday or Saturday, the forecasters said.

The extended hurricane season in the Atlantic has broken several records, with 26 tropical storms, 14 of them hurricanes, of which three reached the topmost category five on the Saffir-Simpson intensity scale.

Several thousands people have been killed by hurricanes this year, most of them in Central America and the US Gulf Coast, since the Atlantic season officially started on June 1.

And in a highly unusual development, Tropical Storm Delta slammed the Canary Islands earlier this week, killing seven people.

Experts have warned that coming years could be just as bad.