Typhoon Ma-on makes landfall in China’s Guangdong province

Beijing, Aug 25 (EFE).- Typhoon Ma-on made landfall in southern China’s Guangdong province around 10.30 am local time (02:30 GMT) Thursday, with winds reaching 119 kilometers per hour and causing heavy rainfall.

Ma-on, the ninth typhoon to form in the region so far this year, arrived at the coastal areas around Maoming city in the province after sweeping through Hong Kong with rain and high winds.

It will continue its trajectory, moving at 25 kilometers per hour in a northwesterly direction, reaching Guangxi province late Thursday afternoon, according to the state news agency Xinhua.

On Wednesday, several urban centers in southeastern China, including Shenzhen, Hong Kong and island province Hainan’s capital Haikou, raised the alert level for the arrival of the typhoon to yellow, the second of a four-color system.

For this reason, school classes were suspended, all work carried out in the open air was stopped and all ships were moored in ports.

Due to the speed of Ma-on, heavy rains will not occur in one place for a long period of time, which may lessen the impact of the typhoon, although the national meteorological center warned of the need to take all precautions.

Still, the wind and rain could bring much-needed relief to southern parts of the country, mired in a heat wave and drought that has hit China’s national hydroelectric grid, damaged crops and sparked forest fires. EFE

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