SHANGHAI, July 3./TASS/. Mun, the fourth typhoon this year, made landfall in the southern Hainan province, according to Xinhua. Ferry services were halted and dozens of flights grounded in Haikou and Sanya.
The area of tropical depression that formed on Monday in the northern part of the South China Sea turned into a tropical storm that on Wednesday morning hit the island’s coast near the city of Wanning. Mun became the first typhoon to have hit China this year.
The wind speed in the storm's central part is currently about 18 meters per second. The tropical storm continues to move northwest at a speed of about 14 km/h. In the afternoon, it should reach the Gulf of Tonkin, and then continue to move in Vietnam's direction
The tropical storm brought heavy rains and strong winds to the island. In some areas of the province orange level of danger due to heavy rains has been declared. The tropical storm forced the local administration the day before to close the ferry service to the mainland through the Hainan Strait, which has not yet been restored. Over 30 flights were canceled or delayed at Meilan (Haikou) and Fenghuang (Sanya) airports.
On Monday, the local meteorological office declared a blue level of danger due to the tropical storm. All fishing vessels were ordered to return to ports. There have been no reports of victims, dead or any damage on the island.
China has a four-tier disaster warning system: the least serious of those is blue, followed by yellow, orange, and red as the most dangerous.