Typhoon Sarika hit the South China Sea (known as the East Sea in Vietnam) on Sunday morning after passing the Phillipines’ Luzon Island.
As of 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, the typhoon, the seventh to hit the region this year, was 750km east of the Paracel Islands with maximum sustained wind speeds of 150kph.
In the next 24 hours, Sarika is expected to head west at speeds of 20kph, according to a report from the National Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting Center released at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday.
At about 10:00 a.m. on Monday, the typhoon is forecast to be about 200km east of the Paracel Islands, causing rough seas and strong winds in the area.
Sarika is expected to hit the waters south of China's Hainan Island on Tuesday.
Le Thanh Hai, vice director of the National Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting Center, told local press earlier on Sunday that Sarika is likely to cause heavy rains in central Vietnam, which has been struggling with heavy flooding in recent days. The latest typhoon may also bring downpours to the country’s north.
Flooding from strong rains triggered by a tropical depression have caused multiple deaths, displaced thousands and submerged many areas in central Vietnam in recent days, with nearly 100,000 houses deep under water and many important roads paralyzed.
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