South China on alert for Typhoon Rai

HAIKOU -- Several Chinese provinces are on alert for Typhoon Rai, which is expected to bring torrential downpours and strong winds to the southern parts of the country in the coming days.

Typhoon Rai, the 22nd of this year, was observed about 270 km northeast of Yongshu reef, part of the Nansha Islands in the South China Sea, at around 2 pm Saturday. It will move northwestward at a speed of 25 to 30 km per hour, according to the National Meteorological Center.

Some areas in Hainan, Guangdong and Fujian provinces will be affected by the typhoon from Sunday to Monday, experiencing heavy rain.

The local flood control and drought relief headquarters of Hainan and south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region have issued alerts for the typhoon.

Local residents have been advised to take precautions. More than 20,500 fishing boats in Hainan had been called back to port as of 3 pm Saturday, while more than 300 fishermen on 55 ships working in the South China Sea have taken shelter in ports in Guangxi.

China's national observatory renewed a blue alert for Typhoon Rai on Saturday morning. The country has a four-tier color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe weather, followed by orange, yellow and blue.