The national observatory on Sunday maintained its yellow alert, the second lowest level of a four-tier warning system, for Sarika, the 21st typhoon of the year.

At 10 a.m., the eye of the typhoon was above the South China Sea some 1,040 km to the southeast of Hainan Province, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said in a statement.

The typhoon will linger above the northern part of the South China Sea before making landfall in Hainan Tuesday morning.

From Sunday afternoon to Monday afternoon, heavy rain and gales are expected to affect China's southeastern coastal areas including Guangdong, Fujian and Hainan, the NMC said.

The NMC suggested local governments in affected areas take precautions against possible geological disasters.

China has a four-tier color-coded system for severe weather, with red being the most serious, followed by orange, yellow and blue.