Hagupit, the fourth typhoon of this year, moved northward to make landfall in east China’s Jiangsu province Tuesday afternoon after it landed in east China's Zhejiang Province in the wee hours of Tuesday, the National Meteorological Center or NMC said.
With a maximum wind force of 136.8 kph in the center, Hagupit hit Yueqing City at around 3:30 a.m. Tuesday, the NMC said.
The NMC upgraded its typhoon alert at 6 p.m. Monday from yellow to orange, and renewed the alert at 6 a.m. Tuesday, based on a four-tier color-coded warning system for severe weather, with red being the most serious, followed by orange, yellow and blue.
It forecast that the typhoon will move northward at a speed of 20-25 kph and start to weaken, before curving northeast Wednesday morning toward the western coast of the Korean Peninsula.
With an average speed of 22 kilometers per hour moving northwest, the typhoon was expected to bring downpours and gales to the cities in Jiangsu when it moved northward on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Downpours battered the eastern and northeastern regions of Jiangsu on Tuesday as the typhoon moved northward through the Taihu Lake.
Big sea waves were expected to emerge on the coast of Jiangsu when the typhoon lands. Authorities in Dafeng and Sheyang have ordered all the boats on the sea to return and port facilities are being reinforced to ward off the rain and wind caused by the typhoon.
Further, all indoor and outdoor mass gatherings in the coastal areas of Jiangsu have been canceled, according to the provincial headquarters for flood control.
Agriculture, rural areas and water conservancy departments reminded that during the passage of typhoons, all localities should strengthen drainage of the water-logged areas and reinforce vegetable greenhouses, doors and windows and outdoor billboards, and beware of strong winds that endanger personal safety.
Nationwide, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs on Sunday issued a notice to urge local governments to batten down the hatches in preparation of Hagupit and ensure the safety of farming and fishing activities in regions that would be affected by the strong gusts and heavy downpours.
(Source:ourjiangsu.com)
