China issues red alert for Typhoon Yagi

BEIJING, Sept. 4 (Xinhua) — China’s National Meteorological Center on Wednesday night issued a red alert for Typhoon Yagi, which is expected to bring strong winds and torrential rain to southern regions of the country.

The China Meteorological Administration has raised its emergency response to the typhoon from Level IV to Level II.

Typhoon Yagi will move northwest at a speed of around 10 kilometers per hour, with its intensity gradually increasing, the center forecast, adding that the typhoon will make landfall on Friday afternoon along coastal areas between Qionghai in Hainan and Dianbai in Guangdong.

Following the typhoon’s passage, gales are expected to hit the Taiwan Strait, Bashi Channel, and most of the South China Sea, as well as coastal areas of Fujian and Guangdong, from Wednesday afternoon to Thursday night, according to the center.

Meanwhile, heavy rainfall is expected in parts of Taiwan, coastal areas of Guangdong and Hainan Island, the same source said.

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