Two cyclones to hit China’s coast after deadly floods

BEIJING:

Two tropical cyclones will bring gusty winds and heavy rain to China’s east coast this week, with the first expected to make landfall on Sunday, after deadly flooding hit the country’s interior over the weekend.

Prapiroon, named after a Thai rain god, is expected to reach China’s southern Hainan province on Sunday night as a powerful tropical storm, the first tropical cyclone to hit China this year, national forecasters said.

Formed in the South China Sea, Prapiroon was centered about 275 km (170 miles) southeast of Hainan’s Wanning city as of 7 a.m. (23:00 GMT).

Maximum wind speeds near its center will be up to 30 meters per second (110 km/h) when Prapirun makes landfall, the National Meteorological Center said, predicting torrential rain in Hainan and along the coast of Guangdong, the most populous province. of China.

Later this week, Gaemi, which was about 530 km (330 miles) northeast of the Philippine capital Manila on Sunday morning, is expected to pass the northern tip of Taiwan and then reach China as a typhoon, with speeds wind gusts of 50 meters per second (180 km/h), according to Chinese meteorologists.

Taiwan’s Central Meteorological Administration said it expects Gaemi to be closer to the island on Wednesday and Thursday, bringing heavy rain.

Extreme rainfall has hit southern, central and eastern China in a flood season that started earlier than usual this year. Record rainfall lashed southern China from April to June, while in the north, dry weather scorched fields and threatened crops.

In the northwestern province of Shaanxi, a highway bridge collapsed on Friday amid torrential rains, killing at least 12, while 31 people and 18 vehicles are still missing.

In the southwestern province of Sichuan, rescuers had recovered eight bodies and pulled four people to safety by 8pm on Saturday after more than 30 were reported missing amid flash floods.