favorable for the time of the year due to the ridge of high pressure preventing cold air from reaching the central Atlantic Ocean. This allowed the depression to intensify into a tropical storm later on December 30, based on direct observations. There were few direct observations for the following days, but it is estimated the storm intensified into a hurricane on December 31 while located about east-northeast of Barbuda. On January 1, 1955, a ship within of the center reported hurricane-force winds and a pressure of 987 mbar. Based on this report and several other ship reports, the system was recognized as a tropical low by the San Juan Weather Bureau Office. The hurricane continued to the southwest, and entered the Caribbean Sea on January 2 after passing between Saint Martin and Saint Barthélemy. A portion of the eyewall moved over Saint Martin and Saba. Based on near-hurricane-force winds from the affected islands, an information bulletin named the system as Hurricane Alice while in the northeastern Caribbean Sea. Throughout its track, Alice was a small tropical cyclone with a diameter of only around . Reconnaissance aircraft flew into Hurricane Alice on January 3 and confirmed the existence of the tropical cyclone by reporting winds between and a warm core center. It is estimated Alice continued to intensify as it tracked southwestward in the Caribbean Sea, and attained peak winds of while located about west-northwest of Montserrat. While near its peak the hurricane developed a ring of convection around its eye, and Alice maintained peak winds for about 24 hours until cold air from the north weakened it. Extratropical cyclogenesis occurred north of Bermuda on January 3, which weakened the high pressure system to the north of Alice and turned the flow in the Caribbean Sea to that of cold northwesterly winds. Alice turned to the southeast on January 4 and weakened to a tropical storm shortly thereafter. Convection gradually became disorganized, and after weakening to a tropical depression on January 5, Alice dissipated on January 6 while located about west-northwest of Grenada. Impact, naming and records Subsequent to the confirmation of the existence of Hurricane Alice, the U.S. Weather Bureau Office in San Juan, Puerto Rico warned the islands of the northern Lesser Antilles to prepare for strong winds and rough seas. Hurricane Alice produced moderate to strong winds across the islands, peaking at in Saint Barthélemy and in Saba.