Irene strengtens to hurricane over Puerto Rico

Hurricane Irene formed over Puerto Rico early on Monday, with maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour (120 kph), becoming the first hurricane of the 2011 season. The ninth named storm of the season, Irene remained on a course that could take it to Florida later in the week, forecasters at the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. Irene was located about 25 miles (40 km) west of San Juan and about 125 miles (200 km) east of Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic as of 5 a.m. EDT (0900 GMT).