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Alex, A Rare Subtropical Storm Forms

By
Donna Thomas, Meteorologist
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Alex

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.

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By Donna Thomas, SouthFloridaReporter.com Meteorologist, Jan. 13, 2016 

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Donna Thomas, Meteorologist
Donna Thomas has studied hurricanes for two decades. She holds a PhD in history when her experience with Hurricane Andrew ultimately led her to earn a degree in broadcast meteorology from Mississippi State University. Donna spent 15 years at WFOR-TV (CBS4 in Miami-Fort Lauderdale), where she worked as a weather producer with hurricane experts Bryan Norcross and David Bernard. She also produced hurricane specials and weather-related features and news coverage, as well as serving as pool TV producer at the National Hurricane Center during the 2004 and 2005 seasons. Donna also served as a researcher on NOAA's Atlantic Hurricane Database Reanalysis Project. Donna specializes in Florida's hurricane history.

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