The Meteorological Service says Irene which is a category one hurricane could possibly influence weather conditions over Jamaica during the next 48 hours.

It said at 4.00 a.m., the centre of Hurricane Irene was located near Latitude 18.4 degrees north and Longitude 66.4 degrees west or about 40 km west of San Juan Puerto Rico or 200 km east of Punta Cana Dominican Republic.

The MET office said Irene is moving towards the west northwest near 19 km/h and this motion is expected to continue for the next couple of days.

On the forecast track, the centre of Irene will move off the north coast of Puerto Rico this morning and move near or over the northern coastal regions of the Dominican Republic this afternoon and tonight.

Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 120 km/h, with higher gust.

Meanwhile, Tropical Depression Harvey was located inland over southeast Mexico near Latitude 18.4 degrees north and Longitude 96.0 degrees west or about 90 km south southeast of Veracruz, Mexico.

The depression is moving towards the west southwest near 17 km/h and a decrease in forward speed is expected over the next 12 to 24 hours before Harvey dissipates.

Maximum sustained winds are near 55 km/h, with higher gusts. Weakening is expected now that Harvey is inland over Mexico and the depression is forecast to dissipate over mountainous terrain later today.

The MET office said Harvey is not a threat to Jamaica.