BEIJING, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- The tropical depression over the Beibu Gulf intensified into the 19th typhoon of this year on Friday afternoon, prompting China's National Meteorological Center (NMC) to issue a blue alert.
The NMC forecasts that from Friday night through daytime on Sunday, the typhoon's center will remain nearly stationary over the Beibu Gulf, gradually intensifying and potentially reaching strong tropical storm status.
From Sunday night onward, it is expected to move slowly northeastward at a speed of 5 to 10 km per hour, gradually weakening as it approaches coastal areas ranging from western Leizhou Peninsula in Guangdong Province to the southern coast of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
From 8 p.m. Friday to 8 p.m. Saturday, gales are forecast to sweep the Beibu Gulf, most parts of the South China Sea, the Bashi Channel, the ocean east of Taiwan, as well as coastal areas of Guangxi, Guangdong, and Hainan Island, according to the forecast.
During the same period, rainstorms will lash parts of Hainan, Guangxi, Guangdong, Fujian, Zhejiang, and Taiwan, with extremely heavy downpours in some areas.
Meteorological experts warned that Hainan, Guangxi, and Taiwan should step up precautions against secondary disasters that may be triggered by accumulated heavy rainfall.
Coastal areas in south China and the South China Sea should guard against gale hazards and enhance safety management for ships, coastal tourism, aquaculture, and maritime operations.
China has a four-tier color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe, followed by orange, yellow and blue. ■
