First Pacific tropical storm of 2012 forms off Mexico

By Reuters

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.

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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.?

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