A rare January hurricane has formed in the Atlantic for the first time in 78 years, US meteorologists report. It is expected to reach the Azores islands today.
A warning has been put out and the Azores government has told people to take precautionary measures.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
It is the first to form in January since 1938 – and is only the fourth since records began in 1851. A previous January hurricane, Alice, actually began in December 1954 and lasted into the following year.
Atlantic hurricanes typically arise between June and November, when the waters are at their warmest, and such a severe winter storm is rare. 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.
"It is very unusual to have a hurricane over waters that are near 20 degrees Celsius, but the upper-tropospheric temperatures are estimated to be around -60 degrees", creating the big instability, hurricane specialist Richard Pasch told the Sydney Morning Herald.
Alex's maximum wind speed of 85mph puts it into the lowest category on the Saffir–Simpson Wind Scale, meaning it is unlikely to cause severe damage.
Four Category-1 hurricanes have reached the Azores archipelago since the 1970s, with no significant damage beyond power outages and broken windows.
However, the Miami-based National Hurricane Centre has warned that Alex will bring heavy rains, with the risk of flash-flooding and mudslides.
-
Democrats push for ICE accountabilityFeature U.S. citizens shot and violently detained by immigration agents testify at Capitol Hill hearing
-
The price of sporting gloryFeature The Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics kicked off this week. Will Italy regret playing host?
-
Fulton County: A dress rehearsal for election theft?Feature Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is Trump's de facto ‘voter fraud’ czar
-
Epstein files topple law CEO, roil UK governmentSpeed Read Peter Mandelson, Britain’s former ambassador to the US, is caught up in the scandal
-
Iran and US prepare to meet after skirmishesSpeed Read The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East
-
Israel retrieves final hostage’s body from GazaSpeed Read The 24-year-old police officer was killed during the initial Hamas attack
-
China’s Xi targets top general in growing purgeSpeed Read Zhang Youxia is being investigated over ‘grave violations’ of the law
-
Panama and Canada are negotiating over a crucial copper mineIn the Spotlight Panama is set to make a final decision on the mine this summer
-
Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
-
Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
-
US nabs ‘shadow’ tanker claimed by RussiaSpeed Read The ship was one of two vessels seized by the US military
