Hurricane season's most intense period is winding down, but it isn't quite done with us yet. And the latest storm to watch is whipping things up much farther east than where powerful hurricanes are typically found.
Lorenzo formed as a tropical storm on Sept. 23 in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, and it reached Category 5 strength on Sept. 28, with winds nearing 160 mph (260 km/h), the National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported . Since the 1920s, 35 Category 5 storms — hurricanes with winds of 157 mph (252 km/h) or higher — have formed in the Atlantic. But Lorenzo is the first hurricane of this strength to appear so far to the east — about 650 miles farther east than Hurricane Hugo, the former record-holder that pummeled the Caribbean with Category 5 winds in 1989, according to the Weather Channel .
Lorenzo, now a Category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph (165 km/h), is barreling toward the Azores — an archipelago that lies 972 miles (1,564 km) off the coast of Portugal — and is expected to make landfall early Wednesday morning, according to an NHC advisory issued today (Sept. 30) at 5 a.m. AST.
Related: Hurricane Season 2019: How Long It Lasts and What to Expect
NHC hurricane data dating to 1851 show just how much of an outlier Lorenzo is. Most powerful storms that formed in the Atlantic reached their peak strength as they neared the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. But lonely Lorenzo, all alone in the middle of the ocean, is in "a league of its own for this time of year," climate scientist and FEMA strategic planner Michael Lowry said in a tweet .
With winds of 145 mph, Hurricane #Lorenzo really is in a league of its own for this time of year. pic.twitter.com/PDz6BCt1YKSeptember 27, 2019
"A Category 5 hurricane this far east this late in the season is almost unbelievable. Wow doesn't do this justice," Lowry said in another tweet .
As Lorenzo travels on a northeast trajectory, its strong winds are sending powerful swells through the North Atlantic, creating rip currents and surf conditions that could be life-threatening, the NHC warned in the advisory. Waves building toward the Azores and Europe will be "enormous," with some nearing heights of 100 feet (31 meters), NHC scientist Eric Blake said in a tweet .
#Lorenzo is forecast to send enormous waves toward the Azores and Western Europe- with a peak significant wave height of ~50 ft (15m), some individual waves will likely be near 100 feet! 👀 pic.twitter.com/n8s8cjypa0September 30, 2019
Although Lorenzo is expected to weaken somewhat over the next 48 hours, the reach of its winds will likely expand. With tropical storm force winds reaching hundreds of miles from its center, the storm will remain "a significant hurricane" as it nears the Azores, according to the NHC.
Atlantic hurricane season typically winds down around the end of November, though the most powerful storms emerge between August and October, according to the NHC .
Originally published on Live Science .
Five-day forecast as of 08:00 a.m.  (1200 ) 
Today, as  hit the Azores, , the national meteorological service for Ireland, issued weather alerts as the storm approached from the west. Yellow warnings were issued nationwide, while six counties on the coast received orange warnings. The warnings apply from tomorrow night into Friday morning.

The Azores — autonomous islands of Portugal in the Atlantic Ocean — closed schools and non-essential public services. "The situation will worsen in the next few hours", said , the regional president, as the storm bore down on the Azores. Authorities expected winds of 100  (about 160 ) and high waves.

The orange warning issued by Met Éireann applied to , , , ,  and  and starts at 6 p.m. local time (1700 UTC) tomorrow. Though Lorenzo was forecast to diminish from a hurricane to a , gusts of wind were forecast to reach 60–80 mph (about 95–130 km/h). "Storm Lorenzo will produce significant swell, high waves and sizeable storm surges. This will lead to wave overtopping, some coastal flooding and damage, especially along western and southern coasts", read the warning. The warnings called for  force winds and heavy rain.

Hurricane Lorenzo reached Category 5 on the  this past Saturday, but was downgraded to Category 1 as of this morning. According to reports, Lorenzo is the largest and strongest tropical cyclone to reach this far into the northeastern Atlantic in recorded history.