BEIJING - China's National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center on Saturday warned residents in the country's southern provinces to take precautionary measures against approaching typhoon Nalgae.

Local authorities and residents are asked to intensify safety checks on fishing facilities off the coast of southeastern Fujian and Guangdong provinces as Nalgae sweeps across the eastern part of the South China Sea, the center said in a statement.

From Saturday night to Sunday,waves of 3 to 5 meters will be observed in the Taiwan Strait, the East China Sea and the northeastern part of the South China Sea, it said.

Waters off the provinces of Zhejiang, Fujian, and eastern Guangdong will see waves of 2.5 to 3.5 meters, and the central and eastern parts of the South China Sea will see huge waves of 6 to 8.8 meters, according to the center.

Waves of 5 meters have already been monitored in the Taiwan Strait.

The center issued a yellow alert for sea waves on Saturday. A yellow alert is the second-lowest alert level in the country's four-level rainstorm alert system.