The southern Chinese province of Hainan issued an alert this morning (June 4) for an impending typhoon, according to Xinhua. The announcement added that Hainan island would experience ‘heavy rains’ in the coming days.
As of yesterday afternoon (June 3), the storm, currently categorized as a tropical depression, was centered roughly 350 kilometers south-southwest of the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea, according to South China Morning Post. It was expected to pass within 800 kilometers of Hong Kong at noon today.
Hong Kong Observatory Senior Scientific Officer Cheng Yuen-chung has stated that a 'No. 1 typhoon signal' may be put into effect, although it was “still to early to confirm,” according to SCMP.
The tropical depression is expected to be upgraded to a typhoon sometime between now and Tuesday, Xinhua quotes the Hainan Meteorological Administration as stating. The storm is expected to make landfall on – or pass – Hainan’s eastern coastal region sometime Tuesday night.
In response, passenger ferry services between Hainan and Guangdong via the Qiongzhou Strait were stopped from 3pm today. According to GRT Radio, train service to Hainan from Guangdong was also suspended this afternoon by the Guangdong Railway Group.
Additionally, water attractions and activities aimed at tourists have been closed due to safety concerns and vessels in the northern and central waters of the South China Sea have been ordered to return to port.
Between now and Sunday, June 10, Guangzhou is expected to experience daily thundershowers, while Shenzhen may get thunderstorms until Saturday, June 9.
As if one wasn't enough, a second storm is currently brewing in the western Pacific, to the east of the Philippines, meaning another typhoon may soon be in the forecast.
[Cover image via Zhuhai Weizhushou]
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