WASHINGTON - The first tropical storm of the year formed in the Pacific Ocean southwest of Mexico on Monday and was named Aletta, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said. 

The storm had maximum sustained winds early Tuesday near 40 mph with additional strengthening forecast during the next day or so followed by gradual weakening. 

The storm is swirling far out over the Pacific and is not posing a danger to land. Aletta is centered about 640 miles south-southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico, and is moving west-northwest near 9 mph.

The storm's forecast track shows it going farther out to sea. 

The Atlantic storm season has yet to begin. June 1 is the official start of the Atlantic season, though storms can form before or after that date.

For Pacific storms, the other names being used this year are: Bud, Carlotta, Daniel, Emilia, Fabio, Gilma, Hector, Ileana, John, Kristy, Lane, Miriam, Norman, Olivia, Paul, Rosa, Sergio, Tara, Vicente, Willa, Xavier, Yolanda and Zeke.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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City of Newark, NJ

Anyone familiar Newark mayor Cory Booker's obsessive mission to boost his city won't be surprised to learn that as Hurricane Irene bore down on New Jersey, it didn't slow him down. He spent Saturday going door to door in evacuation zones to make sure everyone gets out, tweeting all the way. If you're unschooled on the awesomeness of the man known as "America's Best Mayor," follow along on  Cory Booker's Twitter feed:

 Mayor Cory Booker will  check on you personally

 Mayor Cory Booker has the phone numbers you need  

Mayor Cory Booker delivers

Mayor Cory Booker sees your point

Mayor Cory Booker speaks your language

Mayor Cory Booker does not sleep 

Mayor Cory Booker gets your "Lord of the Rings" reference

Mayor Cory Booker thinks you're awesome, too

More on Hurricane Irene:

• How to use social media during Hurricane Irene
• See Hurricane Irene through the eyes of iPhone users 
• Get support and info on Hurricane Irene network
• 'Come On Irene': The music video

Helen A.S. Popkin goes blah blah blah about the Internet. Tell her to get a real job on Twitter and/or Facebook. Also, Google+.

Instacane

Instagram — a popular iPhone-based photo-sharing service (and app) — is currently chockfull of hurricane-related images. But what if you only wanted to see those photos right now — without having to see even a single image uploaded by someone who doesn't care about the weather? You can — thanks to Instacane.

Instacane is a clever website built by Chris Ackermann and Peter Ng of the New York Times' R&D lab. It basically serves as a collection of photos related to the storm, how people are coping, and what the sky looks like in various locations.

There aren't details regarding how the photos are gathered up, but we believe that adding an #instacane tag to an Instagram image might earn your snapshots admission to the site.

As someone who is currently looking out the window and seeing a — for once — hurricane-free Florida landscape, I'm getting quite a chuckle out of some of the images on Instacane. Based on them, all I need to worry about in the event of a hurricane is whether I've got enough Nutella, booze, and snazzy boots. (Oh, and something to prevent all those baby photos...)

Take look for yourself — the site appears to be updated regularly with more images — and see if the impression I'm getting is entirely off.

Related stories:

• How to prepare, really, tips from a hurricane vet
  
• Get support and info on Hurricane Irene network
• How to track Hurricane Irene online

Rosa Golijan writes about tech here and there. She's obsessed with Twitter and loves to be liked on Facebook. Oh, and she can be found on Google+, too.

NBC station WAVY-TV of Portsmouth, Va., reports from Nags Head, N.C., as the first big winds and waves begin crashing ashore.

Yes. Yes. We all know you made this joke, like, days ago. Unlike you, however, this dude Ollie Byrd got around to actually slapping together some lyrics and a video. Anyone from a coastal community familiar with the requisite jackasses who'd rather shred than evacuate will especially appreciate the particular theme the parody takes. Plus, admit it. Your Kevin Rowland impression isn't nearly as amusing.

via Buzzfeed

More on Hurricane Irene: 

• Hey Irene, can you hear me now?: Cellular-on-wheels (COWs) are being readied to handle mobile traffic
• Smartphones, tablets can be a port in the storm
• Protect your electronics from power outage damage

Helen A.S. Popkin goes blah blah blah about the Internet. Tell her to get a real job on Twitter and/or Facebook. Also, Google+.

While it seems that there's no shortage of Hurricane Irene-related information available on the Internet, it can be extremely helpful to have that information — evacuation maps, Red Cross Safety Tips, what would it look like if Irene really slammed Manhattan — all in one place.

A newly launched community-powered support network for Hurricane Irene serves as "a public service to give people a place to get Hurricane Irene news, share ideas on how to prepare for a hurricane and help one another with preparing," according to its landing page description.

The Hurricane Irene network allows users to share ideas, report problems and give praise, and includes a handy set of links to evacuation maps and disaster preparedness information. It lives on the community platform for Get Satisfaction, a San Francisco-based company that helps businesses connect with customers through forums.

Currently there are only 19 members in the Hurricane Irene network, but the potential value is there. Accessing Facebook and Twitter in the event of big news is the automatic reflex for many of us, whether we're looking for news or just to connect. The Hurricane Irene network, however, includes a host of resources and news in the same place where you can connect with others affected by the storm. And unlike our daily social networks, there's no need to endure what someone had for breakfast or their final thoughts on Kim Kardashian's nuptials to find the help you need.

via The Next Web

More on Hurricane Irene resources:

• How to track Hurricane Irene online
• Hey Irene, can you hear me now?
• Smartphones, tablets can be a port in the storm

Helen A.S. Popkin goes blah blah blah about the Internet. Tell her to get a real job on Twitter and/or Facebook. Also, Google+.

As Hurricane Irene gets closer, homeowners aren't the only ones battening down the hatches, Martha C. White reports on msnbc.com: Insurance companies are also taking numerous steps to make sure a strong storm season doesn't blow them away.

Unfortunately, this often comes at the expense of the very homeowners who are counting on their insurance policies to protect them from a financial disaster caused by broken windows, fallen trees and other acts of nature.

"The insurance industry does not like to have to play claims. The idea is to make a profit, so they use many different ways to avoid having to pay claims," says John Garamendi, the former California insurance commissioner.

Read more 

Google

Depending on where you are and how much you're affected by Hurricane Irene — the storm battering the East Coast — you may or may not be able to get online consistently. But if you can access the Internet, you should know that there are many terrific sites which will help you track weather developments, local situations, and more.

Here's a list of some key online resources.

The National Hurricane Center
This is the National Weather Service's official hurricane site. It provides some of the most up-to-date information on the storm.

Msnbc.com's hurricane tracker
We've got our own interactive maps ready to help you track the storm. 

The Weather Channel's hurricane tracker
Data on the hurricane's predicted path as well as vital statistics such as wind speeds, ground speeds, pressure, and so on.

The New York Times' hurricane tracking map
An oddly beautiful interactive visualization of the storm and its predicted path.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's website
More storm maps than most would ever want to see, with a more intense science focus.

The Google Crisis Response Center
A dashboard with maps that you can use to overlay various data, Google Maps style.

Your local TV or newspaper sites
For the best granular information in your particular city or region, it's probably a good idea to check your local media outlets' websites.

NASA's Earth Observatory
Plenty of scary photos of the storm (which you can turn into wallpapers or something once everything is well and calm again).

Related stories:

• How to prepare, really, tips from a hurricane vet
  
• Obama: All signs show Irene will be 'historic' storm
• Airlines begin canceling flights as Irene nears

Rosa Golijan writes about tech here and there. She's obsessed with Twitter and loves to be liked on Facebook. Oh, and she can be found on Google+, too.

Just how big is Hurricane Irene? It spans nearly 500 miles in video sent back to Earth from the International Space Station.