China Issues Yellow Alert as Typhoon Fengshen Approaches Southern Coasts

National Observatory Issues Yellow Alert

China's national observatory has issued a yellow alert for Typhoon Fengshen, the 24th typhoon of the year, as it moves closer to the country's southern coastal regions. The alert, announced on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, signifies a heightened risk of severe weather conditions across several provinces.

As of 9 am Wednesday, Fengshen was located over the waters of the South China Sea, approximately 170 kilometers west-northwest of Yongxing Dao of Sansha city, Hainan province. The typhoon was observed to have maximum winds of 33 meters per second near its center. The National Meteorological Center (NMC) forecasts Fengshen to move southwestward at a speed of 10 kilometers per hour, maintaining its intensity through Wednesday morning before gradually weakening.

Anticipated Impacts and Trajectory

The typhoon is expected to bring significant weather disturbances to various parts of China's southern regions. Gales are forecast to affect:

• Parts of the East China Sea
• The Taiwan Strait
• The Bashi Channel
• Waters east of Taiwan
• Coastal regions of southern Zhejiang, Fujian, and Hainan Island
• Parts of the South China Sea
• The Beibu Gulf

These conditions are anticipated between 2 pm Wednesday and 2 pm Thursday. Additionally, some areas of Hainan Island and Taiwan may experience heavy rainstorms during this period. China operates a four-tier, color-coded weather warning system for typhoons, with red being the most severe, followed by orange, yellow, and blue.

Precautionary Measures and Regional Context

In response to the approaching typhoon, Chinese authorities have initiated various precautionary measures. The Guangdong provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters activated a Level IV typhoon prevention emergency response earlier in the week. This included directing all 71,037 fishing vessels in Guangdong to return to port and evacuating 12,182 offshore workers to safety. Vessels have been prohibited from heading out to sea, and cross-sea routes and coastal tourist attractions were closed.

Typhoon Fengshen is projected to make landfall over Vietnam's central coast as a tropical storm on Thursday before rapidly weakening. Prior to its approach to China, the storm, known as Ramil in the Philippines, caused significant impact, resulting in seven to eight deaths and two missing persons in the northern and central Philippines.