China's national observatory on Friday renewed a yellow alert for Typhoon Maysak, which was expected to bring strong winds and rainstorms to southern China.

At 10am on Friday, the 10th typhoon this year was observed some 145 km south of Lingshui on Hainan, the National Meteorological Centre said in a statement.

Maysak was expected to move northwestwards at a speed of 10 to 15 kilometres per hour, with strengthening intensity.

It was forecast to make landfall along the coastal areas from Lingshui to Ledong on Hainan on Friday afternoon.

After crossing Hainan, it will enter the Beibu Gulf and make a second landfall near the coastal border between Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and northern Vietnam on Saturday evening.

The storm's intensity will gradually weaken thereafter.

From 2pm on Friday to 2pm on Saturday, strong winds were expected in most parts of the South China Sea, the Qiongzhou Strait, the Beibu Gulf, the Zhongsha Islands, the Xisha Islands, along the central and western coasts of Guangdong, and along the coastal areas of Hainan and Guangxi.

Meanwhile, heavy to torrential rainfall was expected in parts of central and western Guangdong, southern Guangxi, and Hainan Island.

Hainan has imposed comprehensive transport suspensions across the island. All inter-island train services are suspended on Friday and Saturday. Roll-on/roll-off ferry services across the Qiongzhou Strait were suspended at 2am on Friday, with this suspension expected to last one to two days, pending real-time weather conditions.

Provincial meteorological authorities have issued safety reminders urging offshore platforms and vessels to take shelter immediately, while calling on local governments to tighten safety management of fishing boats and coastal mountain tourism sites.

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



Edited by Thomas McAlinden