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E China provinces alerted as storm heads north

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-06-24 21:30

BEIJING - Five provinces along China's eastern coast have been alerted as tropical storm Meari, which is expected to be upgraded to a typhoon, is approaching from the south, according to a statement issued Friday by the National Commission for Disaster Reduction (NCDR) and the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

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Formed two days ago over an area of ocean located east of the Philippines, the northward-moving Meari is forecasted to be the first typhoon to hit China's coastal regions this year, the statement said.

It is predicted that the tropical storm will sweep the northeast part of the South China Sea, the Taiwan Strait, the East China Sea and the Yellow Sea over the next three days, the statement added.

The statement urged local civil affairs agencies in Shanghai and the provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian and Shandong to closely monitor the tropical storm and issue early warnings to the public in a timely manner.

Three government-owned storage bases for disaster relief supplies in the cities of Fuzhou, Hefei and Wuhan have been asked to prepare for a response to any disaster that might result from the storm.

From Friday night through Saturday, the storm will generate 6 to 8-meter-high waves in the center of the East China Sea and 4 to 6-meter-high waves in the Taiwan Strait and areas near eastern Taiwan, according to the statement.

Meanwhile, the coastal regions of Zhejiang and northern Fujian are predicted to see waves of 3 to 4.4 meters, while Shanghai and southern Fujian will see waves of 2 to 3 meters.

Local meteorological authorities in Zhejiang have predicted that Meari will enter the southeastern part of the East China Sea between Friday night and Saturday morning, packing winds of about 33 meters per second.