Typhoon Ampil to reach China coast Sunday morning

Ampil, the tenth typhoon this year, is expected to make landfall Sunday morning in the country's eastern coast, bringing gales and downpours, the national observatory said Saturday.

Shanghai is battered by rain under the influence of Ampil on July 21, 2018. [Photo: IC]

The National Meteorological Center (NMC) continued to issue a yellow alert for the tropical storm, which will hit coastal areas between Xiangshan County, Zhejiang Province, and Qidong of Jiangsu Province, packing winds of up to 108 kilometers per hour.

It will weaken after reaching land and continue to move northwest inland. Heavy rainfall up to 180 mm will strike Zhejiang, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Anhui, and there will be gales on waters nearby.

At 5 p.m. Saturday, the eye of Ampil was 425 km offshore from Xiangshan.

The NMC suggested local governments take precautions against disasters, and ships in affected areas return to port.

China has a four-tier color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe weather, followed by orange, yellow, and blue.