The Meteorological Service has announced a flash-flood warning for low-lying and flood-prone areas for the northeastern and southern parishes, effective until 5:00 am Tuesday.

In a release on Monday morning, the Met Service extended the flash-flood warning for low-lying and flood-prone areas of St Mary, Portland, St Thomas, Kingston and St Andrew, St Catherine and Clarendon.

It also upgraded the flash-flood watch to a flash-flood warning for low-lying and flood-prone areas of Manchester, St Elizabeth and Westmoreland.

Additionally, the Meteorological Service announced that tropical storm Ian has now been upgraded to Hurricane Ian and is currently located near 18.2 degrees north and 82.0 degrees west, or 391 kilometres west-southwest of Negril Point, Jamaica.

Ian is expected to move northwest across the Caribbean today. Its outer bands have been producing adverse weather conditions across Jamaica since Saturday.

Observational data, the Meteorological Service said, indicates that the outer bands of Ian have been producing moderate to heavy showers since Sunday and light moderate rainfall and thunderstorms over the last few hours, mainly across northeastern and southern parishes.

The forecast is for periods of moderate to heavy rainfall and thunderstorms to continue across southern and northeastern parishes today through to early tuesday.

Periods of showers and thunderstorms, especially in the afternoon, are expected for the remainder of the island during this time. Additionally, due to the extended period of rainfall, and high-ground saturation, landslides are likely, the Meteorological Service warned.