Alex is the first to have emerged in the Atlantic in January since 1938, according to US meteorologists.
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Early Friday, the center reported Alex was centered about 130 miles (210 kilometers) south of Terceira Island, one of nine Azores islands, where a hurricane warning was in effect, and was moving north near 23 mph (37 kph). The storm is expected to lose tropical characteristics later in the day. Experts say that although the ocean is cooler than usually needed to turn a tropical storm into a full-blown hurricane, extremely cold winds have produced the necessary difference in temperature. Azores regional airline SATA cancelled flights.
It is the fourth known storm to arrive in the first month of the year since forecasters began keeping track in 1851.
Alex became a hurricane late Thursday morning, marking the first time a hurricane has formed in January in the Atlantic since 1938. People were warned it was moving north at about 23mph.
Atlantic hurricanes typically arise between June and November, when the waters are at their warmest, and such a severe winter storm is rare.
The storm is expected to dump 3 to 5 inches of rain on the islands, with 7 inches possible in isolated areas.
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“The intensity of the hurricane itself is not likely to diminish for now, but as it starts to open distance from the archipelago, the forecast is for gusts to diminish gradually in the Azores in the coming hours”, Moreira said. That precipitation could spur mudslides and flash floods, while risky storm surges could produce flooding along the coast. Instead, it will likely head north toward Greenland.
