Hurricane Lorenzo strengthened into a Category 4 storm Sunday morning, after briefly intensifying to a Cat 5 as it churns in the central Atlantic. The National Hurricane Center described it as the “strongest hurricane this far north and east in the Atlantic basin” and while it is not currently tracking to make landfall, the winds could generate tropical storm conditions for Portugal’s Azores islands Monday. Heavy rainfall could cause life-threatening flash flooding in the western Azores, the National Hurricane Center warned Sunday, predicting that it will cause waves across much of the North Atlantic basin.