It’s January and a Tropical Storm has formed in the Atlantic Ocean

The storm will impact the Azores in the northeastern Atlantic with gale force winds and heavy rain late Thursday into Friday. With maximum sustained winds of about 50mph, it is not likely to strengthen much in the next two days before losing the structure of a subtropical storm.

Subtropical Storm Alex has just been named, the first tropical cyclone of 2016 – six months before the season officially opens.

Subtropical Storm Alex developed Wednesday afternoon near the Azores.

While land and air over the United States is cold, the Atlantic Ocean holds a lot of heat and is able to support a tropical system.

According to the National Hurricane Center, Alex is the first tropical or subtropical storm to form in January since 1978. Therefore, no tropical storm warnings are being issued at this time. It’s only the fourth named Atlantic storm to form during the month since record keeping started. The last storm that formed in January was Subtropical Number One back in 1978. Historically, only 0.5 percent of tropical storm activity has occurred prior to June 1. The low pressure system is located deep in the north Atlantic, closer to the African coast.