Tropical Storm Alex

The name Alex has been used for a total of 11 tropical cyclones worldwide: Four in the Atlantic Ocean, four in the West Pacific Ocean and three in the South Indian Ocean.

North Atlantic Ocean:

• Tropical Storm Alex (1998), a weak storm that never affected land.
• Hurricane Alex (2004), a Category 2 hurricane that came within 10 miles (16 km) of the Outer Banks of North Carolina, then strengthened to Category 3 once clear of land.
• Hurricane Alex (2010), a Category 2 hurricane that made landfall in Belize as a tropical storm and passed over the Yucatán Peninsula before making landfall in Tamaulipas, Mexico, at maximum intensity.
• Hurricane Alex (2016), a rare Category 1 hurricane that formed in mid-January, made landfall in the Azores causing heavy rainfall and gusty winds.

The name replaced Andrew which was retired after the 1992 season.

Western Pacific Ocean:

• Tropical Storm Alex (1980) (T8020, 24W), a short-lived tropical storm that formed to the north of Iwo Jima
• Typhoon Alex (1984) (T8403, 03W, Biring), a Category 1 typhoon that passed north over Taiwan before dissipating over South Korea
• Typhoon Alex (1987) (T8708, 08W, Etang), a minimal typhoon that brushed north Taiwan before striking mainland China; caused little damage from the typhoon, but its remnants contributed to some significant flooding in Korea
• Tropical Storm Alex (1998/Pacific) (19W), a weak tropical storm that formed to the east of the Philippines before it was absorbed by the more powerful Typhoon Zeb; Japan Meteorological Agency analyzed it as a tropical depression, not as a tropical storm

South Indian Ocean:

• Cyclone Alex (1981), stayed well out to sea and did not approach any land
• Cyclone Alex (1990), a Category 5 cyclone (on the Australian scale) that formed in the Timor Sea and moved to the southwest without approaching land
• Cyclone Alex (2001), a tropical storm that formed to the north of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands before passing west of 90°E, when it was renamed Andre