Typhoon Conson poised to make landfall in Hainan before Friday night

Ships anchor at a harbor in Haikou, capital of south China's Hainan Province, July 15, 2010. Local maritime affairs authorities ordered all ships to stay in port and suspended all shipping services across the Qiongzhou Strait because of the tropical storm Conson. (Xinhua/Hou Jiansen)
Typhoon Conson is likely to make landfall between Ledong and Wanning in south China's Hainan Province before Friday night, said the National Meteorological Center (NMC) Friday.

However, the typhoon's center could also brush past Hainan, said a statement on the website of China Meteorological Administration, NMC's parent organization.

Conson was about 260 kilometers southeast of Sanya, a famous tourist resort in Hainan, at 5 a.m. Friday and moving towards the northwest at a speed up to 20 kilometers per hour.

The wind near the typhoon center was about 119 kilometers per hour.

The typhoon will bring heavy rains to southwestern Guangdong Province, southeastern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Hainan Friday.

NMC also issued an orange alert for the typhoon, the second highest level, at 6 a.m. Friday.

Those areas covered by the alert should vigorously guard against flooding and geological disasters, said the statement.

Conson, a Vietnamese word meaning historic sites, earlier this week hit the Philippines leaving 23 people dead.

Source:Xinhua
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