January Hurricane Forms in Atlantic, First in 78 Years

Satellite images showed Hurricane Alex, a well-defined tropical storm, churning in the open Atlantic, closer to Africa but at about the latitude of Jacksonville, North Carolina.

Nevertheless, it said Alex is likely to lose its tropical characteristics as it moves over colder waters.

The National Hurricane Center upgraded eastern Atlantic ocean subtropical storm Alex to hurricane status Thursday as it heads toward the coast of Azores, Portugal.

In fact, several areas of the islands have already been placed under tropical storm warning. It should eventually turn north and pick up speed before going over the Azores on Friday morning, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The Atlantic hurricane season officially runs from June 1 through November 30, but storms have, on an occasional basis, formed before and after that date.

Hurricane Alex is certainly out of the ordinary. Hurricane Alice was already around when the calendar changed to January 1955.

So you might wonder… what exactly is a subtropical storm?

Tropical Storm Pali, only the third such system to develop in January in over 40 years, had weakened to a depression by Thursday and was expected to dissipate in the next day or so.

Is Alex a 2015 or 2016 hurricane name? According to KTAB/KRBC meteorologists, the storm formed over waters that are 2-4°F warmer than average yesterday, and has been quickly gaining strength.

It is the fourth known storm to arrive in the first month of the year since forecasters began keeping track in 1851. Sea surface temperatures typically need to be 80 degrees Fahrenheit or warmer to support tropical systems, but SSTs near Alex are only about 68 degrees. With 75 miles per hour winds, it is barely still a Category 1 hurricane.

Feltgen said winter storms such as Alex are not indicators of the severity of the upcoming hurricane season.