China's national observatory renews blue alert for Typhoon Kong-rey

BEIJING -- China's national observatory on Thursday morning renewed a blue alert for Typhoon Kong-rey, which is expected to unleash gales in parts of southeastern regions of China.

The eye of Kong-rey, this year's 25th typhoon, was located in the Pacific Ocean about 380 km south of Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, as of 5 am Thursday, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said.

It will continue to move northwest at a speed of 20 km per hour and likely dwindle as it approaches the East China Sea, the NMC said.

Regions including Fujian, Zhejiang and Taiwan will be hit by gales on Thursday and Friday under the influence of Kong-rey and cold air.

China has a four-tier color-coded weather warning system for severe weather, with red being the most serious, followed by orange, yellow and blue.