China renews yellow alert for typhoon Mawar

China's National Meteorological Centre (NMC) on Sunday renewed the yellow alert for typhoon Mawar, which is expected to hit Guangdong province.

At around 5 a.m., the eye of Mawar, this year's 16th typhoon in the region, was above the South China Sea some 135 km southeast of Guangdong, packing winds up to 25 metres per second, Xinhua news agency reported.

The NMC forecast that Mawar would grow stronger while moving northwestward at a speed of about 10 km per hour toward Guangdong, expecting it to land in coastal areas later on Sunday.

The centre of the typhoon is expected to weaken quickly after making landfall.

From Sunday to Monday, Mawar will bring gales to some waters near Fujian and Taiwan, as well as parts of the South China Sea. Meanwhile, parts of Guangdong and Fujian will experience rainstorms, the NMC said.

The NMC suggested local governments take precautions against possible disasters, and ships in affected areas return to ports.

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

--IANS

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