The latest typhoon news on the afternoon of July 19 from Xinhua News Agency said that the National Meteorological Administration of China issued a yellow alert (3rd highest in the 4-level warning system) for Typhoon Wipha expected to bring strong winds and heavy rain to the southern coastal areas of the country.
The National Meteorological Center (NMC) said that Typhoon Wipha is moving northwest at a speed of 15-20 km/h. Typhoon Wipha is forecast to make landfall in coastal areas from Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province, southern China to Yunnan City, Hainan Province in the afternoon or evening of July 20.
Typhoon forecasters from the National Meteorological Center said that Typhoon Wipha is intensifying as it moves south of China. The wind speed when Wipha makes landfall could reach 118-151 km/h.
My Lan Hai Khau International Airport on Hainan Island canceled 3 flights at midday on July 19 but still maintained normal operations for most of the 515 flights as scheduled.
The local maritime agency also announced the temporary suspension of ferry services from 3 ports in Hai Khau, starting at 7:30 p.m. on July 19. Several ferries between the continent and Hainan Island were canceled on July 20 and July 22, while all operations were suspended on July 21, when Typhoon Wipha was forecast to be strongly affected.
Heavy rain is forecast to lead to flooding in many areas in Hainan from the night of July 19 to July 22.
According to the latest typhoon information from the Hong Kong Meteorological Agency (China), a level 8 typhoon warning signal was issued in Hong Kong (China) on the morning of July 20 as Typhoon Wipha approached. Currently, a storm warning is being issued at level 3.
"Depending on the distance between Typhoon Wipha and the Chau Giang River Delta, the intensity of Wipha and local wind changes, the monitoring station will consider issuing a Category 8 storm signal in the early morning of July 20" - the bulletin stated.
Weather forecasters in Hong Kong (China) said that Typhoon Wipha is expected to continue to strengthen and move towards the Chau Giang River Delta on July 19, leading to showers and thunderstorms. Flooding is likely in coastal areas on the morning of September 20.
Typhoon Wipha is forecast to be about 50 km from Hong Kong (China) on July 19. In 2017, the center of Typhoon Hato was about 60 km south-southwest of Hong Kong (China), and a Category 10 storm warning signal was issued.
Typhoon experts in Hong Kong (China) believe that maximum sustained winds near the center of Typhoon Wipha will reach a peak of 130km/h at around 8:00 p.m. on July 20.
Wipha, the name of the typhoon contributed by Thailand, is the word used to name women in Thai, meaning " gorgeous" or "brilliant". Typhoon Wipha is the third typhoon in the South China Sea and the sixth typhoon in China this year.
