According to the latest information from the central observatory, the fifth tropical storm originating in the northwest Pacific Ocean turned into a typhoon Tuesday morning.

Currently, the typhoon is moving towards China's southeast coast at a speed of 20 km per hour, with its strength still increasing.

Weather forecast shows that from July 4 to 7, Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Shandong provinces as well as Shanghai Municipality will have windy and rainy days caused by the typhoon. The East China Sea and Yellow Sea will suffer gales.

China's off-shore areas should take preventive measures against possible disasters brought by the typhoon, said Zhang Guocai, director of the National Meteorological Center.

He said the tropical storms and typhoons affecting China's coastal areas in July and August this year will not exceed those in previous years. However, their impact will be more serious.

(Xinhua News Agency July 3, 2002)