CHINA’S national observatory renewed Thursday a red alert for Typhoon Doksuri, the most severe warning in its four-tier warning system, as the fifth typhoon this year is expected to bring gales and heavy rain to the eastern and southern parts of the country.

The typhoon, observed over the ocean about 220 km southwest of Eluanbi at the southernmost tip of China’s Taiwan at 5 a.m. Thursday, is expected to move northwest at a speed of 10 to 15 km per hour with increased intensity, the National Meteorological Center said.

It will most likely make landfall in the coastal areas of Jinjiang City in East China’s Fujian Province and the bordering areas of Fujian Province and Guangdong Province, the center said.

Some coastal areas around the Bashi Channel, the South China Sea, the Taiwan Strait, as well as coastal regions of Taiwan, Fujian, Zhejiang and Guangdong, will experience gales.

The meteorological center has issued an advisory suspending both indoor and outdoor gatherings, as well as dangerous outdoor operations, and recommended the timely transfer of people living in vulnerable housing.

It has also called for emergency typhoon preparations and precautions against possible geological disasters.

Doksuri is anticipated to be the strongest typhoon to impact eastern Guangdong in nearly a decade, the Guangdong provincial meteorological authorities said.

Local authorities have issued early warning information to the public, warning ships and workers operating in nearby seas to return to port in time to take shelter.

The railway station in the city of Shantou in Guangdong suspended some high-speed train services from Wednesday.

Some scenic spots in the cities of Fuzhou, Xiamen and Quanzhou in Fujian Province have been closed, and several passenger air routes and train services along the coast have been suspended. (Xinhua)