Parts of southern China have been bracing for strong winds and heavy rain as Wipha made landfall in Guangdong province on Sunday.

The national observatory issued an orange typhoon warning, the second highest level in a four-tier system, before lowering it to a yellow alert.

Wipha skirted down the coast until about 6pm, when it made landfall near Taishan city in Guangdong province.

According to the National Meteorological Centre, wind speeds of up to 118 kilometres per hour were recorded near the centre of Wipha before the typhoon weakened to a severe tropical storm.

The storm was forecast to continue move towards the Gulf of Tonkin.

The arrival of Wipha had prompted authorities in the nation's coastal regions to raise typhoon alerts and upgrade emergency responses.

Hundreds of thousands of people had been evacuated across Guangdong, as the storm uprooted trees and brought heavy rain and strong winds to parts of the province.

Macau, meanwhile, issued the number 10 typhoon signal for five and a half hours, before lowering the warning.