Rare January hurricane forms in the Atlantic: forecasters

As of 4 p.m. ET on Thursday, Hurricane Alex had sustained winds of 85 miles per hour and was located 350 miles south of the Central Azores Islands, which is a Portuguese territory.

The storm is expected to dump 3 to 5 inches of rain on the islands, with 7 inches possible in isolated areas. Alex was expected to move near or over parts of the Azores on Friday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

Hurricane Alex is certainly out of the ordinary.

It’s super rare considering hurricanes usually form over warm water and hit their peak season between June 1 to November 30 in the Atlantic.

It said residents should expect waves up to 18 meters (60 feet) high and wind gusts up to 160 kph (100 mph). Alex has maximum winds of 80 miles per hour and will affect the Azores as it moves northward. These rains may produce life-threatening flash floods and mudslides. Hurricane Alex has formed in the Atlantic, which is very rare in January.

The central Azores islands of Faial, Pico, Sao Jorge, Graciosa, and Terceira now face hurricane warnings due to Alex. More recently, Tropical Storm Zeta from in December of 2005 and lingered into January of 2006.

Subtropical cyclones were officially recognized by the National Hurricane Center in 1972. 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. Hurricane Alice was already around when the calendar changed to January 1955.

The Azores government advised the closure of some schools.

Alex started off as a subtropical storm on Wednesday afternoon – exhibiting characteristics of both tropical and non-tropical systems.

As of Thursday morning, there was no expectation that Alex will directly strike the USA or mainland Europe; it was predicted to head north, approaching Greenland early Sunday morning.