BEIJING, July 16 (Xinhua) -- China's national observatory on Sunday evening upgraded the alert for Typhoon Talim to orange, the second-highest alert level, as the fourth typhoon of this year is expected to bring gales and torrential rain to some of the country's southern coastal regions.
The typhoon, observed over the South China Sea about 530 km southeast of the city of Zhanjiang in southern China's Guangdong Province at 5 p.m. Sunday, will move northwestward at a speed of around 15 km per hour with increased intensity, the National Meteorological Center said in a statement.
It will make landfall in coastal areas between Guangdong Province and Hainan Province in south China on Monday night, said the center.
From 8 p.m. Sunday to 8 p.m. Monday, heavy downpours are forecast to lash Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Jiangxi, and Hunan, while gales are expected in coastal areas of Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hainan, and the most waters of the South China Sea, said the center.
The center has advised suspending indoor and outdoor gatherings and dangerous outdoor operations, staying in safe places, and the timely transfer of people in vulnerable housing.
It also called for emergency typhoon preparations and precautions against possible geological disasters.
Chinese authorities issued a yellow alert on Sunday evening for rain-triggered geological disasters in some parts of Hainan during the upcoming 24 hours.
China has a four-tier, color-coded weather warning system for geological disasters, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow, and blue. ■
