Typhoon Megi weakens en route to China's southern coasts

21 October 2010 10:53  [Source: ICIS news]

SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Typhoon Megi slightly weakened on Thursday afternoon as it heads towards China’s southern coasts, according to the Hong Kong Observatory.

At 17:00 hours Hong Kong time (09:00 GMT), Megi was estimated to be about 420 kilometres southeast of Hong Kong and was forecast to move north at a speed of 8km/hour gradually edging closer to the coast of eastern Guangdong, based on the advisory.

It said that the typhoon was packing maximum sustained winds of 110 kilometres per hour (km/h) as of 14:00 hours on Thursday, down from the wind strength of 225km/h it had when it ripped through northern Philippines, where the typhoon killed 19 people, based on media reports.

The super typhoon was expected to weaken further before it strikes Shantou, in Guangdong province, by 23 October, with maximum sustained winds forecast at 155km/h. Its winds were expected to weaken to 85km/h on Sunday as it moves inland, the agency said.

Other southern provinces, including Hainan and Fujian were also are bracing for heavy rains and strong winds, according to the state-media organisation Xinhua News Agency.

Chinese provincial authorities had also warned that the typhoon could generate huge waves that could devastate coastal areas, including Guangdong, Fujian and the Taiwan Strait, it said.

Meanwhile, state-owned refiner China National Offshore Oil Corp (CNOOC) could shut its offshore oil and gas wells because of Megi, Xinhua said.

Petrochemical companies in south China were also taking precautionary measures, expecting the typhoon to disrupt shipping activities.

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By: Nurluqman Suratman

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