Hurricane Alex will push through The Azores Friday while making the transition to a non-tropical low-pressure system after becoming a rare January hurricane Thursday.
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There were no reports of casualties. However, weather expert Dr. Jeff Masters points out on the weather underground website (http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/alex-becomes-the-atlantics-first-january-hurricane-since-1955) “Sea-surface temperatures beneath Alex are only around 20-22°C (68-72°F)”. The archipelago has a population of around 250,000.
With maximum sustained winds of 50 miles per hour, the system now has a name: Sub-tropical Storm Alex. The last hurricane that formed in the Atlantic during January was in 1938, according to NOAA’s historical hurricane tracker database. Little change in strength is forecast through Friday.
Tropical storm-force winds can reach a span of 175 miles outwards from the storm center. Residents of the islands can expect storm force winds and high rainfall starting late Thursday night, reported WHNT 19 News.
“The most critical phase will be between the end of morning and early afternoon when the centre of the hurricane passes between Sao Jorge and Terceira islands”, regional government chief, Vasco Cordeiro, said.
Azores authorities said they expected the storm to be at its peak on Friday morning. The capital city of the Azores, Ponta Delgada is also under threat with Hurricane Alex expected to dump between 3 to 7 inches of rain across the region. The storm could lead to up to seven inches of rain in isolated areas of the Azores and three to five inches throughout.
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It is the fourth known storm to arrive in the first month of the year since forecasters began keeping track in 1851. Significant storm surge flooding and large, destructive waves are possible near and east of where the center of Alex moves through in the Azores. The instability this creates is likely what caused Alex to form and intensify so early, Pasch said.
