Tropical storm heading toward China coast
Chanthu intensifies to a severe tropical storm
The winds are expected to top 80 mph (130 km)
Parts of China have been besieged by rain for weeks
(CNN) -- A tropical storm is expected to make landfall in South China early Thursday, adding more weather woes to a region that's already been deluged.
According to the state-run Xinhua news agency, the Qiongzhou Strait between the Chinese mainland and Hainan island was closed Wednesday as tropical storm Chanthu headed toward south China.
Chanthu's eye is expected to make landfall between Guangdong's coastal city of Yangjiang and Hainan's Qionghai City sometime Thursday.
The Joint Typhoon Warning Center said the storm has sustained winds of 63 mph (102 kph) which are expected to grow to nearly 81 mph (130 kph). The center is operated by the U.S. Navy and Air Force in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
The tropical storm will bring gales and heavy rain to southern and eastern coastal areas of China, including Guangdong and Hainan, over the next 24 hours. The statement said coastal areas of Guangdong are likely to be most affected by the storm.
People in the affected areas are advised to shut doors and windows and avoid outdoor activities. The center downgraded the torrential rain alert to blue, the lowest level, from yellow, as rain that hammered south China in recent days eased.
Under a blue alert, governments and other authorities should prepare for torrential rains.
This latest storm comes on the heels of major flooding and landslides in central China. The confirmed death toll has risen to 41 in two provinces, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported Tuesday. The floods caused 26 deaths in Sichuan province and left another 30 people missing, the news agency reported, citing the Sichuan Provincial Water Resources Department. The state-run news agency also reported that at least 15 people are dead and 54 are missing in Shaanxi province.
Government figures released Wednesday estimate that so far this year, torrential rain and flooding have claimed the lives of 701 people and left 347 missing in China.
