South China relocates more than 40,000 as typhoon approaches

HAIKOU - South China's Hainan province has relocated more than 40,000 people as the eighth typhoon of 2015, Kujira, is expected to land in southern China on Monday night.

More than 20,000 fishing boats in the province were called back to harbor. All elementary and middle schools in the provincial capital Haikou City will be closed on Tuesday, according to the local government.

The National Meteorological Center on Sunday afternoon issued a blue alert, the lowest level in its four-tier warning system, for Typhoon Kujira.

Kujira will be the first typhoon to hit China this year. It was formed in the South China Sea on Sunday morning, and is moving northward at a speed of about 10 kilometers per hour.

Kujira will sweep waters around Xisha Islands and Hainan Island before landing between Wanning in southeastern Hainan Province and Zhanjiang in southern Guangdong province on Monday night. Rain and strong winds are expected.

It is also expected to hit Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Tuesday night, said the regional meteorological department.

Meteorologists warned ships against passing through typhoon-affected areas in the sea.

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