Tropical Storm Alpha 22nd Storm of Season

Alpha, the record-breaking 22nd tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, lasted for only a day before subsiding into a tropical depression.

The National Hurricane Center reported at 2 p.m. EDT Sunday the center of the storm was over the northwestern tip of Haiti, moving north-northwest at almost 15 mph with maximum winds of 35 mph. Forecasters said the depression might regain enough strength over open water to return to tropical storm status.

Alpha is the 22nd storm or hurricane of the season, making 2005 the most active ever. The record had been set in 1933 before forecasters began naming hurricanes.

The storm drenched parts of the Dominican Republic and Haiti, two poor and mountainous countries vulnerable to flash flooding and mudslides.