China raises alert level as typhoon Muifa approaches

BEIJING, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- China's national observatory on Tuesday upgraded the typhoon alert to orange as Muifa, the 12th typhoon this year, is expected to make landfall in Zhejiang Province on Wednesday.

Gale-force winds will lash coastal areas of Taiwan, Zhejiang, Fujian, Shanghai and Jiangsu from now to Wednesday afternoon, the National Meteorological Center said.

Over the next three days, heavy rains are expected to hit parts of Taiwan, Zhejiang, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Shandong and Liaoning, according to the forecast.

The center has advised the aforementioned regions to make emergency preparations for the typhoon and asked local residents to avoid traveling during strong wind and rain periods.

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