Rare January hurricane forms in Atlantic, threatens Azores

A subtropical storm has formed far out in the Atlantic Ocean and has been classified as the first named storm of the 2016 Atlantic hurricane season.

The storm has peak winds of 85 miles per hour, about 5 miles per hour shy of the 1938 January hurricane, the strongest on record for the month. Tropical Storm Pali, only the third such system to develop in January in over 40 years, had weakened to a depression by Thursday and is expected to dissipate.

Hurricane Alex’s maximum sustained winds were near 140kph (85mph) and residents of Portugal’s mid-Atlantic Azores islands were warned to expect waves up to 18m (60ft) high and wind gusts up to 160kph (100mph). It is expected to move northwards bringing stormy conditions to the Azores where hurricane warnings have been issued.

Hurricane season typically runs from June 1 to November 30, as 97% of all tropical storms and hurricanes form in these months, according to the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory.

Storm surge: A risky storm surge is expected to produce significant coastal flooding near and to the east of the center of Alex.

Alex is the first January hurricane to form since 1938 and only the fourth January hurricane on record since 1851, CNN reported.

Alex is maintaining a fairly impressive appearance on satellite imagery and its eye remains well-defined. How is it different from a tropical storm?

What may be most interesting about this hurricane is that it formed in cold water. Tropical storm warnings are in place for Santa Maria and Sao Miguel, which contains the autonomous region’s capital and largest city, Ponta Delgada. This temperatures difference can create rising motion which helps keep hurricanes and tropical systems going.

The storm will likely reach the Azores Thursday night and remain through Friday. However, in the Atlantic during El Nino years there is more wind shear which actually inhibits the formation of hurricanes, which makes this storm even rarer.