Hurricane Alex forms, first January hurricane in decades

Hurricane Alex formed in the Atlantic Ocean Thursday, the first hurricane to form in January since 1938, the National Weather Service announced.

A Hurricane Warning was issued for the Azores, the islands roughly 900 miles west of Portugal. Alex was centered about 490 miles south of Faial Island in the central Azores and was moving north-northeast near 20 mph Thursday.

Forecasters said the hurricane's maximum sustained winds approached 85 mph.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center reports Alex will move near or over parts of the Azores on Friday. It was first reported as a subtropical storm Wednesday.