China issued a red alert on Thursday (August 31) for Typhoon Saola, which is heading towards the southeast coast with winds of over 200 kilometers per hour and threatens Hong Kong and other major industrial centers of the neighboring province of Guangdong. Chinese forecasters issued the highest typhoon alert at 6 a.m. (midnight in Paris).
Saola, currently located about 315 kilometers southeast of Guangdong Province, will move northwest across the South China Sea at a speed of about 10 km/h, gradually approaching the coast. Guangdong, then slowly weaken in intensity, detailed the Chinese National Meteorological Center. The wind speed at noon (6 a.m. in Paris) was 209 km/h.
Saola will make landfall along the coast between Huilai, Guangdong, and Hong Kong in the afternoon and night of September 1, the center said, adding that its predicted intensity could make it one of five strongest typhoons to make landfall in Guangdong since 1949.
Interruption of railway lines
The city of Shenzhen, located in Guangdong, raised its typhoon warning level to yellow, the second lowest, at 6 p.m. Thursday, suspending classes in nurseries, kindergartens, primary and secondary schools.
According to local media, China Railway has suspended several major railway lines and Shanghai has decided to stop running trains bound for Guangdong.
Heavy rain is expected until 8 a.m. (2 a.m. Paris time) Friday in parts of Fujian and parts of Guangdong. Rainfall could reach 100 to 220 millimeters in some areas.
The Saola winds are also affecting Fujian province, where videos circulating on social media show waves crashing along the coastline. The Shishi City Meteorological Administration has issued a typhoon blue alert.
