Beijing, Oct 22 (NationPress) The national observatory of China has issued a yellow alert for typhoon Fengshen on Wednesday, marking it as the 24th typhoon of the year. This storm is anticipated to unleash strong winds and heavy rainfall across several regions in the south of the country.

As of 9 a.m. Wednesday, Fengshen was situated over the South China Sea, approximately 170 km west-northwest of Yongxing Dao in Sansha City, Hainan Province. The maximum wind speed near its center was reported at 33 metres per second, as noted by the National Meteorological Centre (NMC).

The typhoon is predicted to move southwestward at a pace of 10 km per hour and is expected to maintain its intensity through Wednesday morning, followed by a gradual weakening.

As a result of Fengshen, strong gales are forecasted to impact areas including parts of the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait, the Bashi Channel, the waters east of Taiwan, coastal regions of southern Zhejiang, Fujian, Taiwan, Hainan Island, and segments of the South China Sea, as well as the Beibu Gulf from 2 p.m. Wednesday until 2 p.m. Thursday, as reported by the NMC.

At the same time, heavy rainstorms are likely in certain parts of Hainan Island and Taiwan during this timeframe.

China employs a four-tier, color-coded warning system for typhoons, with red being the most severe, followed by orange, yellow, and blue, as per Xinhua news agency.

The typhoon is expected to make landfall on Vietnam's central coast as a tropical storm on Thursday before rapidly losing strength, according to the centre.

On Monday, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh issued a directive to ministries, agencies, and localities in central Vietnam to implement urgent actions as Typhoon Fengshen approaches.

Fengshen is the 12th storm anticipated to strike Vietnam this year, with forecasts indicating heavy rainfall in the central provinces from Wednesday through Sunday.

The storm is also projected to create significant risks of flooding, landslides, and flash floods, according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

Residents of Laos are likewise advised to prepare for extensive heavy rain as tropical storm Fengshen nears, raising concerns about potential landslides and flash floods.

The storm is expected to traverse Vietnam before entering Laos, bringing light to moderate thunderstorms nationwide, accompanied by heavy to very heavy rainfall and strong winds in specific regions from October 23 to 24, as stated in a report from the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology under the Lao Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.