Typhoon Lupit forms, may bring heavy rain to southern, eastern China

Typhoon Lupit formed on the South China Sea on early Wednesday, with its center located about 335 kilometers away from the borders of Fujian and Guangdong provinces, the National Meteorological Center said.

The cyclone is forecast to make landfall between Lufeng, Guangdong, and Jinjiang, Fujian, on Thursday morning and bring heavy rain to the southern and eastern parts of China.

The center said Lupit is expected to come ashore as a tropical or severe tropical storm. It will weaken while moving to the northeast toward the East China Sea on Saturday, the center forecast.

For the next three days, central and southern parts of South China and eastern parts of the Yangtze River's southern region should expect heavy rain.

The name Lupit comes from the Philippines, meaning "cruelty" in the Tagalog language, the center said.

It warned that the typhoon will have an impact for an extended period of time along the coastal areas and may cause flooding, mountain slides and torrents. The center cautioned against activities on seas.

Elsewhere, temperatures have remained at record highs of above 35 C for about a week in Southwest and Northwest China, including the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Sichuan, Guizhou provinces and Chongqing, the center said, adding that the heat is expected to last until Friday.