Season’s first hurricane is an early bird

The last time a hurricane formed in January was 1938.

It’s also the first hurricane to appear in January since 1955 (Hurricane Alice formed in December and carried over).

At 11 a.m., the center of Hurricane Alex was located 490 miles south Faial Island in the central Azores.

About 900 miles from Europe and 2,300 miles from the United States, the Azores are marked by rolling green hills and volcanic peaks.

What is particularly interesting about Hurricane Alex is that it has managed to form over ocean waters that are just 20C.

The storm has a small, compact appearance on satellite imagery, but it clearly has a well-formed core of thunderstorms surrounding a almost cloud-free eye. It’s even less common when such a storm strengthens into a hurricane, which often thrive most over warm waters. No watches or warnings were issued for the Azores.

Tropical storm conditions (winds 39 miles per hour or greater) are expected to begin in the Azores Thursday night, with hurricane conditions (winds 74 miles per hour or greater) developing by early Friday.

Three to 5 inches of rain can be expected, complimented by flash floods, mudslides, and gale-force winds. “Near the coast, the surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves”.

Alex first formed as a subtropical storm Wednesday afternoon.

Alex’s current classification as a subtropical storm means it exhibits characteristics of both tropical and non-tropical storms.

It’s the first hurricane of the 2015 hurricane season, that officially starts June 1 and ends November 30. The new Atlantic hurricane is the first one to form this early (in January) since 1938, NASA says, citing the National Hurricane Centre (NHC).

Official warnings for the tropical cyclones in the North Atlantic are produced by the US National Hurricane Center. Forecasters also noted that added instability like the “main factor” with the intensification.

Of course, tropical systems in January are rare but not unheard of.