China issues alert for super typhoon Usagi

BEIJING - An alert was issued on Thursday for this year's 19th typhoon Usagi, which was upgraded to a super typhoon at 5 p.m., according to China's meteorological authority.

At 7 pm Beijing time, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) issued a yellow alert for the typhoon, the third highest on the country's four-tier weather warning system -- with red being the most severe, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

The State Oceanic Administration (SOA) also initiated an I-class emergency response for the typhoon on Thursday, the highest level of the nation's maritime disaster response system.

Usagi may become one of the strongest typhoons to hit China's southeastern coast this year, according to the administration.

It predicted that Usagi will hit a coastal region between the north of south China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region and southeastern Fujian province in the evening of September 22.

The NMC said the center of Usagi was at about 850 km southeast of Taiwan at 5 pm and was moving northwestward at a speed of around 15 km per hour with strengthening force.

Affected by the super typhoon, strong wind will sweep waters in the east and north of Taiwan, the sea near China's Diaoyu Islands, the south of East China Sea and the northeast of South China sea, the center said.

The SOA and the NMC have urged related government organs to take precautions against the typhoon.