China's National Meteorological Center (NMC) said early on Saturday that Typhoon Neoguri may land in south China again, in Guangdong Province, on Saturday afternoon.

Typhoon Neoguri, the first to approach south China this year, weakened into a severe tropical storm and landed at Longlou Town, Wenchang City, in the northeast of the island province of Hainan at 10:30 PM on Friday, packing winds of up to 108 kilometers per hour.

The latest forecast at 6:00 AM showed the storm center was at about 190 kilometers southwest by south from Yangjiang City, Guangdong at 5:00 AM, packing winds of up to 90 kilometers per hour.

The national observatory said the storm was moving at 10 to 15 kilometers per hour northward, and could make a landfall between Wuchuan and Taishan, Guangdong on Saturday afternoon or later into the night with a weakening force.

The storm would bring downfall or rainstorms onto offshore areas along Guangdong Province, with rainstorms to be especially severe along western Guangdong coast, according to the NMC.

It also said the northern part of South China Sea, inshore areas along western Guangdong and Qiongzhou Strait would see gusts of 39.6 to 61.2 kilometers per hour, with winds at the center to reach 75.6 to 90 kilometers per hour.

The NMC asked the storm-affected areas to get prepared against the approaching storm. It said indoor or outdoor assembly such as school classes and fieldwork should be suspended, and working vessels and those passing by should return to harbor.

It said people should be evacuated to safe places and warned of possible geological disasters that could happened due to coming heavy rains.

When Typhoon Neoguri landed in Hainan Province, at least 42,000 residents in five major cities had been moved to safe places, and 80,000 fishermen and 21,800 boats were recalled from sea, with no casualties reported.

(Xinhua News Agency April 19, 2008)