New Delhi: Typhoon Talim became the first typhoon to make landfall in China this year. It prompted the authorities to issue flood warnings, cancel flights and trains, and order people to stay at home, reported Reuters.
According to Reuters, winds stronger than 150 kph would put Talim in the severe typhoon category, very rare for a typhoon this early in the rainy season.
The Guangdong weather bureau said that Talim was expected to move at a speed of 20 km per hour northwest and into the Guangxi region early on Tuesday. The national forecaster has urged authorities in Guangdong and Hainan to be on standby to respond to the typhoon.
Here are the latest updates on Typhoon Talim:
- Markets in Hong Kong halted trade on Monday as the city's observatory put up a storm signal for Talim, and all court hearings in the city were adjourned.
- China's meteorological centre forecast gale force winds in seas near southern provinces and regions and exceptionally heavy rains of 250-280 mm (9.8-11 inches) on the southwestern coast of Guangxi and northern Hainan Island.
- Parts of Guangxi were told to brace for flash floods through Tuesday. Emergency shelters were opened to the public, reported Reuters.
- "Violent" waves of 6 to 9 m (20 to 30 feet) are expected to assail northern parts of the South China Sea through Tuesday, according to state media.
- Hainan's Marine Forecasting Station warned of waves of up to 6 m south of the tourist island, news outlet Xinhua reported, according to Reuters.
- Zhuhai Jinwan Airport in Guangdong cancelled 43 inbound and 36 outbound flights on Monday.
High-speed railway and suburban trains on Hainan were suspended as well, with routes connecting to the tourist island shut until Friday.
- Authorities in Hainan asked ships in nearby waters to return to port and ferry services between Hainan and Guangdong were suspended early on Sunday.