Typhoon Wutip expected to make 1st landfall in S China's Hainan

China's National Meteorological Center (NMC) said on Thursday that Typhoon Wutip, the year's first typhoon for China, could make landfall along the coast between Lingshui and Ledong in south China's Hainan Province in the early hours on Friday.

"The anticipated intensity is at strong tropical storm level, with winds of 25 to 28 meters per second," Zhang Ling, chief forecaster at the NMC, said at a press briefing.

To avoid potential danger, railway services on Hainan Island have been halted since 4 p.m. on Thursday. However, some trains are expected to resume operation on Saturday.

Typhoon Wutip is expected to make a second landfall along the coast from western Guangdong Province to the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Saturday.

"After landfall, it will move northeast with gradually diminishing intensity," Zhang said.

The NMC forecasts the rainfall to be heaviest from June 13 to 14, with an expected accumulated rainfall of 100 to 300 millimeters in parts of Hainan, eastern Guangxi, Guangdong, southern Hunan, and southern Jiangxi. Some areas could receive 400 to 700 mm of precipitation, according to the NMC.

(Gong Zhe contributed to this story.)