Alex strengthens to become Hurricane, first January one since 1938

There is rare winter storm that has been brewing in the waters of the Atlantic and it has now been upgraded to Hurricane Alex.

Winter hurricanes are not unheard of but they are not common. As the Associated Press noted, hurricane season starts in early June and is typically over by the end of November.  The last time a hurricane formed in the month of January was back in 1938.

On Thursday afternoon, Hurricane Alex was moving towards Portugal's Azores Islands. The islands are currently under a hurricane warning and Alex should be over the region by Friday morning, but residents may start to experience its force on Thursday evening, the National Hurricane Center reported. The storm should bring anywhere between 3 to 7 inches of rain to some parts of the islands. Schools on the islands will be closed because of the severe weather.

At this point it appears that Alex is not a threat to the U.S. coastline. Experts said that it should turn northward and head towards Greenland.