Tropical storm Son-Tinh to land in Guangxi

Son-Tinh, the 23rd tropical storm of this year, is likely to make landfall in southern China's Guangxi Province on Monday afternoon after sweeping across Vietnam, China's meteorological watchdog has forecast.

The China Meteorological Administration (CMA) said on Monday that Son-Tinh, with its center located in northeastern Vietnam at 7 a.m., was moving northeastward at a speed of 10 to 15 km per hour and may hit the coastal area of Guangxi.

Central and southern Guangxi, western Guangdong and northern Hainan will be slashed by heavy rainfall over the next 24 hours, while areas of southern Guangxi will be hit the hardest, by rainfalls of up to 240 millimeters, according to the CMA.

Meanwhile southeastern regions including the Beibu Gulf, northwestern Hainan, western Guangdong and Guangxi's coastal areas will see strong winds, it was forecast.

Trains and passenger ships that can resist gales in the storm-hit region have returned to service on Monday morning after a two-day suspension since Saturday, according to the Hainan Maritime Safety Administration.

Experts advised farmers in the affected region to be cautious about the potential threats Son-Tinh posed for rice and fruit trees, as strong winds brought by the tropical storm may cut trees and cause waterlogging in cropland.

Son-Tinh, which strengthened to a typhoon early on Saturday morning, triggered downpours and gales in southern China before weakening to a strong tropical storm on Monday morning, data from the CMA and the municipality of Hainan showed.