China issues top alert for typhoon Doksuri

Beijing: China's National Meteorological Centre (NMC) on Wednesday issued a red alert for typhoon Doksuri, the most severe warning in its four-tier warning system, as the fifth typhoon of this year is expected to bring gales and heavy rain to the eastern and southern parts of the country.

The typhoon, observed over the ocean about 350 km south of Taiwan at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, is expected to move northwest at a speed of 10 to 15 km per hour, the Centre said in a statement.

It will enter the northeastern part of the South China Sea between Wednesday evening and Thursday morning and then move to the coastal areas of Fujian and Guangdong, Xinhua news agency quoted the statement as saying.

The severe typhoon will most likely make landfall in the coastal areas of Jinjiang city in Fujian province and the bordering areas of Fujian and Guangdong, the NMC said.

Some coastal areas around the Bashi Channel, the South China Sea, the Taiwan Strait, as well as coastal regions of Taiwan and Fujian, will experience gales from 2 p.m. Wednesday to 2 p.m. Thursday.

The maximum wind force in some of the aforementioned regions will reach 20.8 to 36.9 meters per second, according to the Center.

During this period, parts of the east Zhejiang province will experience downpours of 100 to 150 mm and parts of Taiwan will experience heavy downpours of 250 to 400 mm, it added.

The meteorological centre has issued an advisory suspending both indoor and outdoor gatherings, as well as dangerous outdoor operations, and recommended the timely transfer of people living in vulnerable housing.

It has also called for emergency typhoon preparations and precautions against possible geological disasters.

China has a four-tier, colour-coded weather warning system for typhoons, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue.