Alex becomes the first Atlantic hurricane to form in January since 1938

Maximum sustained wind speeds are expected to reach 75mph, according to the US National Hurricane Centre, with gusts reaching 100mph according to the Associated Press news agency.

The Azores Meteorological Service issued a hurricane warning for several islands in the central Azores, as hurricane conditions are expected to spread over the islands by early Friday.

Alex formed six weeks after the end of the official hurricane season, a period from June 1 to November 30 that sees the vast majority of hurricanes.

The National Hurricane Center has upgraded a storm brewing in the Atlantic Ocean to hurricane status, a rarity both given its timing and strength.

As well as strong winds and a storm surge at the coast, potentially flooding rains are expected, with 3-5 inches possible widely, and as much as 7 inches over the higher hills and mountains.

This year, January witnessed a hurricane named Alex.

Positioned 490 miles south of the Azores, Alex is making a beeline towards the group of islands, which sit about 900 miles west of Portugal.

A low pressure system strengthened rapidly from a tropical storm on Wednesday to become Hurricane Alex on Thursday. Alice holds the record for the strongest January hurricane on record at 90 mph, which Alex could match or even exceed in the next 24 hours.

The Azores government has advised nurseries to stay closed and told residents to ensure drainage systems are not blocked. Similarly, about once every 10 years, a tropical storm forms in December.

Only two other hurricanes have appeared in January since forecasters began keeping records in 1851, Feltgen said. These rains could produce life-threatening flash floods and mud slides.

Subtropical cyclones were officially recognized by the National Hurricane Center in 1972.

With an island-bound population of 250,000, the Azores are quite used to brutal tropical weather during the typical hurricane season.