Just when you thought that the Atlantic Season Hurricane Season was over…Think Again. An out of season storm has formed in the Atlantic Ocean that has been classified as the first named storm of the 2016 Atlantic hurricane season.
HurricaneAlex is only the fourth named Atlantic storm to form in January in over 160 years. The storm formed yesterday afternoon south southwest of the Azores, a group of islands located 800-900 miles west of Portugal. A small eye formed in the system during early Thursday and now packs winds of up to 85mph.
Alex is located well in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and doesn’t pose a threat to Belize or the United States; however, it will affect the Azores. Alex will bring damaging winds and the risk of flooding to the Azores with the worst conditions late Thursday night through Friday morning.
The Atlantic hurricane season officially runs from June 1 to November 30, but storms have occasionally formed before and after that period. According to the National Hurricane Center, Alex is the fourth known storm, since 1851 when records began, to form in January.
