Heavy rains and gales are forecast to hit south China's island province of Hainan from Wednesday night to Friday with the approach of Typhoon Cimaron.

 

Cimaron, the 20th typhoon to affect China this year, was centered about 700 kilometers east of Hainan's Wanning City at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, packing winds of up to 162 km per hour, said the provincial meteorological observatory.

 

The island and its eastern offshore areas would experience strong winds of 50 to 100 km per hour from Wednesday to Friday, it said.

 

Rainstorms were also forecast to hit the eastern, central and southern parts of the island, with Wanning and Qiongzhong cities expected to see the heaviest rainfall.

 

The eye of Typhoon Cimaron was moving west at 10 to 15 km per hour and was forecast to make landfall in central coastal areas of Vietnam on Friday, the observatory said.

 

Cimaron, the Philippine word for "wild ox", formed Friday east of the Philippines and has since intensified into a severe typhoon.

 

(Xinhua News Agency October 31, 2006)