Sub-tropical storm forms in the Atlantic – in the winter

According to the Associated Press, the National Weather Service in the United States announced Alex’s hurricane status on Thursday.

There were no reports of casualties.

Alex is unusual for forming during winter when sea temperatures in the North Atlantic are much lower – only four January hurricanes in the area have formed in 150 years.

The 2016 hurricane season has started early in the Atlantic. Its strength has startled National Hurricane Center specialists and others, and comes on the heels of a historic year of devastating climate occurrences. As it heads north towards colder waters its intensity is likely to decline. The government of the Azores has issued hurricane warnings for most of the islands.

The first Atlantic storm to form in January since 1938 has picked up speed to 85-mph winds, due to hit Portugal’s Azores islands Friday morning.

After monitoring a storm system for several days, the National Hurricane Center has determined that the storm system has become sub-tropical. This path will take Alex through the Azores into Friday, and hurricane-force winds and heavy rainfall are expected there.

Some tropical storm-force winds have been clocked in The Azores. The affected regions include the central Azores islands of Faial, Pico, Sao Jorge, Graciosa and Terceira.

It is only the fourth known storm to form in this month in the historical record that began in 1851. According to The Atlantic, the storm could bring flash floods and mudslides, as well as large, risky waves near the coast. Right now, it’s back to a tropical storm, but still skirting the equator.

Storm surge: A unsafe storm surge is expected to produce significant coastal flooding near and to the east of the center of Alex. On Thursday morning, Alex had made a complete transition into a hurricane.