Southern China coasts on alert for Typhoon Yagi

China is preparing for the impact of Typhoon Yagi between Friday afternoon and Sunday, which will bring strong winds and rain to the southern regions of the country.

China’s National Meteorological Center (NMC) has been issuing alerts since Wednesday for the approach of the typhoon, which is expected to hit the coasts of the island province of Hainan before passing through the southern province of Guangdong.

The Chinese government has sent task forces to Guangzhou and Hainan to guide flood and typhoon prevention, state news agency Xinhua reported.

The typhoon, the 11th this year and the first of the autumn season, has caused some rivers in the two provinces to exceed warning levels, according to the country’s water ministry.

286 ships and 1,028 inspectors have been deployed to patrol coastal areas and fishing ports, while more than 1.71 billion alert messages have been sent to the population.

The typhoon is forecast to make landfall between Wanning on Hainan Island and Dianbai in Guangzhou on the evening of September 6 as a strong typhoon or super typhoon with winds that could reach 55 meters per second (magnitude 15-16), then weaken as it moves into the Gulf of Tonkin early on the 7th.

The typhoon also prompted school closures in the financial city of Hong Kong, which expects winds over the city to gradually weaken as Yagi moves away.

Experts cited by local newspaper The Paper have noted that typhoon activity this year has been lower than usual, with 11 typhoons forming in the northwest Pacific and the South China Sea, below the annual average of 13.87.

This is attributed to unfavorable weather conditions, such as the late arrival of El Niño and increased vertical wind shear, which has limited the intensity of typhoons.