On Wednesday, what seems like another case of a winter storm has now developed into a hurricane. According to the AccuWeather, hurricane Alex is currently not affecting the U.S. region but is monitored to affect the Eastern Atlantic Ocean, bringing strong winds and possible flooding in some parts of Portugal's Azores Island.

As of Thursday, Hurricane Alex has sustained winds of up to 80 mph as it packs a radius of 275 miles, speeding towards the Azores Islands at 85 mph. The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) has issued warnings and residents of the Islands are to expect a gale warning of 99 mph. An 18m storm surge is also expected to develop as Hurricane Alex moves south.

The initial arrival of hurricane Alex is also expected to dump at least three inches of rain and a maximum of seven inches along areas where flooding occurs. With the possible occurrence of storm surges, mudslides and intense flooding is apparent. The coastal areas of the Azores Islands will also feel the surge of flooding along the coastline.

The arrival of hurricane Alex in January is considered to be isolated -- something that is not considered in the North Atlantic, especially during the winter time. According to CNN, the hurricane time in the region usually comes between June and November, which means that hurricane Alex is a remote case.

In a statement released by Accuweather's Senior Meteorologist Dan Kottlowski, he said, "A sub-tropical storm has both tropical and non-tropical characteristics and wind field." In a span of four decades, this will be the first case of a hurricane occurring as early as January.

The El Niño phenomenon this year is said to be one of the main causes of emerging storms like this. According to BBC, scientists have linked the phenomenon to strong winds and high sea temperatures. The World Meteorological Organization has also declared the coming of El Niño, which started in 2015, to be one of the strongest since 1950.

The Azores Islands is about 2,300 miles from the U.S. and it currently houses the U.S. air base at Lajes Field. Composed of volcanic peaks with a sub-tropical climate, the archipelago has a year round temperature between 57 and 71 degrees Fahrenheit for its almost 250,000 residents. Hurricane Alex will mostly affect the central Azores Islands of Santa Maria and Sao Miguel. Currently, hurricane Alex is not showing signs of directly hitting the U.S. but is monitored to head toward Greenland.