Weather forecasters said on Wednesday that the twelfth typhoon of the year – named Trami - is expected to sweep through the island county of Pingtan in Fujian province.

The China Meteorological Center said that Trami will strengthen as it moves west by north at a speed of 30km per hour, passing the coastal area of northern Taiwan in the afternoon of August 21, and landing in Fujian's city of Jinjiang before heading to the city of Xiapu during the night of August 21 to 22.

Trami was upgraded from a tropical storm to a typhoon on Tuesday night and, at 5:00 am on Wednesday, its center was in the northwest Pacific, about 390 km east of Taipei, with maximum sustained winds of 12 (33m/s) and minimum pressure of 967pha around its center.

Trami will bring torrential rains and gales - ranging from force 9 to 11 - to Fujian, southern Zhejiang, and eastern Guangdong.

The Fujian Provincial Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters initiated a third-level typhoon contingency plan on Tuesday, ordering Pingtan and other coastal counties and cities to beef up their preparations ahead of Trami.

Authorities in Pingtan have called for the evacuation of residents living along the coast, and for the reinforcement of safety measures at construction sites and old homes.

Edited by Chen Zhilin and Niva Whyman