The 2016 Atlantic hurricane season is off to a really early start with the formation of Subtropical Storm Alex Wednesday afternoon. Alex is a very rare January system (the first since 1978) in the eastern Atlantic.
At 5 pm Wednesday, Alex was located near 27.1 North, 30.8 West, about 785 miles south-southwest of the Azores. Alex was moving northeast at 14 miles per hour, and maximum sustained winds were 50 miles per hour. It’s forecast to lose its tropical characteristics on Friday, but it is expected to bring gale force winds to the Azores this weekend.
Alex poses no threat to the United States. Alex is classifed as subtropical rather than tropical due to upper-level atmospheric conditions in the area that aren’t associated with purely tropical systems.
By Donna Thomas, SouthFloridaReporter.com Meteorologist, Jan. 13, 2016