Rainstorms to hit S, E China as Typhoon Haikui approaches

Heavy rains will hit many areas in south and east China from Sunday to Tuesday, as Typhoon Haikui is moving northwestward from Okinawa, Japan, to affect China's coastal region, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said on Sunday.

Downpours will sweep parts of Guizhou, Yunnan, Guangdong and Hainan provinces and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, as well as southern parts of some central and northern provinces in the next three days, the NMC said in a statement.

Meanwhile, rainstorms are expected to lash east China's coastal regions including Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Shanghai on Monday and Tuesday, the NMC said.

Haikui, the 11th typhoon of the year, is moving northwestward on the Pacific 200 kilometers off Japan's southernmost Okinawa prefecture early Sunday morning, at a speed of 20 kilometers per hour. It will bring gales in the East China Sea, according to the NMC.

Strong wind and rainstorms caused by two previous typhoons, Damrey and Saola, have lashed coastal regions in east China and part of northeast China over the past three days, forcing the evacuation of 867,000 people as of 6 p.m. Friday, according to official figures.