China renews orange alert for Typhoon Higos

BEIJING -- China's national observatory on Wednesday renewed an orange alert for Typhoon Higos, which is expected to bring gales and torrential rains to south China.

The typhoon, the seventh this year, made landfall at around 6 am on Wednesday in coastal areas of Zhuhai in Guangdong province, with a maximum wind force of 35 meters per second near its eye, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said.

The NMC expects the typhoon to move northwestward at a speed of around 20 km per hour and gradually weaken.

From Wednesday morning to Thursday morning, gales are expected to hit parts of the South China Sea and the coastal waters of Guangdong, according to the NMC.

In the same period, regions including parts of Hainan, Guangdong, and Guangxi will experience downpours, with some areas to see up to 180 mm of rainfall, it said.

The NMC stressed the need to closely monitor the development of Typhoon Higos, and to timely relocate vessels and people in areas likely to be affected, while calling for precautions against geological disasters.

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