Subtropical Storm Alex formed in the eastern Atlantic Ocean late Wednesday afternoon given the 2016 hurricane season the earliest start since 1978. Hurricane Alice, a 1955 storm, existed in January but had formed in December, according to the National Hurricane Center.
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When it reaches the Azores Friday, it may unload 3 to 5 inches of rain, with some isolated totals to 7 inches.
Alex is located about 750 miles south southwest of the Azores in the far eastern Atlantic.
Hurricanes in the Atlantic are rare this time of year, with the season normally spanning June through November.
Alex is the first hurricane to form in the month of January since 1938.
Alex will be moving over even colder waters soon, and the hurricane center expects the hurricane to lose its tropical characteristics and become an extratropical storm in about 36 hours.
What may be most interesting about this hurricane is that it formed in cold water. Dubbed Hurricane Alex, it has winds as high as 85 miles per hour, the highest on record for January. There are hurricane warnings for the Azores, but no perceived threat to the Caribbean or United States. However, Alex’s timing has placed the local government on high enough alert to close down kindergarten schools and advise residents to prepare for hurricane-ford winds and rain. The Hurricane warning affects Islands Faial, Pico, Sao Jorge, Graciosa, and Terceira in the central Azores. Azores is believed to be home to more than 250,000 people. As Alex moves through in the Azores, extreme weather conditions may trigger life-threatening flash flooding, mudslides, wave surge and coastal erosion. It was expected to turn to the north over the next day or two and was not expected to approach North America, NHC said.
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Pali, in the central Pacific, is the the earliest hurricane ever recorded over the Central Pacific Basin in a calendar year, forming 19 days earlier than the previous record holder, Hurricane Ekeka of 1992.
