SOUTH China’s Hainan Province has suspended strait ferry and round-the-island train services as Typhoon Nesat approaches.

As of 4 p.m. yesterday, the center of Nesat was about 115 km northeast of the city of Sansha, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said. Packing winds of up to 144 km per hour, Nesat was forecast to move southwestward at a speed of 15 km per hour, with its force weakening slowly.

The storm was forecast to bring heavy rains and strong gales to the island province today.

According to the transport and port authorities in the provincial capital of Haikou, ferry operations across the Qiongzhou Strait could be halted for over 60 hours starting from 3 a.m. yesterday.

Hainan has also suspended the high-speed train services that loop around the island. Meanwhile, kindergartens in Haikou and Sanya have suspended classes.

Coastal regions of southern China are expected to experience strong winds and rainstorms due to the combined effect of cold air and Nesat, the 20th typhoon of the year, the national observatory forecast yesterday.

The southern areas of the Yangtze River, some regions from South China to the Taiwan Strait, and northern parts of the South China Sea will also be battered by gales, according to the NMC.

Some coastal areas around the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait, the Bashi Channel, the South China Sea, the Qiongzhou Strait and the Beibu Gulf will experience gale-force winds from daytime, the NMC said.

Guangxi will also see relatively strong rainstorms. On Monday, the NMC reissued a yellow alert, the third-highest alert, for Typhoon Nesat, as well as a yellow alert for coastal winds. (Xinhua)