BEIJING, Aug. 5 -- East China's coastal provinces face the threat of catastrophic storm tides today as Typhoon Matsa approaches, the National Meteorological Centre warned yesterday.

A rescue helicopter lifts crew members from a cargo ship stranded in a typhoon near a port in southern Taiwan's Kaohsiung county, July 19, 2005. (Reuters)

    Having started out as a tropical storm, Matsa is forecast to advance across the southeastern East China Sea, before slamming into coastal areas of East China's Zhejiang Province.

    Related strong gales are predicted for Taiwan, parts of Fujian, Zhejiang, Shanghai and Jiangsu with accompanying rainstorms.

    "Coastal authorities should be well prepared for the typhoon as it could combine with a local spring tide to cause increased devastation," the centre warned.

    Following the downpours earlier this week, torrential rains will continue to lash eight provinces across Northeast, Central and East China, including parts of Liaoning, Shandong, Anhui, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Hunan and Zhejiang.

    "In the next three days, damage is likely to be caused by weather including lightning, thunder, hailstorms and gales," a spokesman said.

    However, the rainfall will benefit some areas plagued by the persistent heat wave in the South and prolonged drought in the North.

    After hot and stuffy weather across Central China and parts of East China, downpours since Wednesday have pushed the mercury to below 35 C in many cities including Beijing.

Last month, a record 18 consecutive days with temperatures above 35 C were recorded south of the Yangtze River and in eastern parts of South China, compounding regional drought, according to the China Meteorological Administration.

Water levels at 422 key water-supply reservoirs throughout the country stood higher at the beginning of the month than at the same time last year, the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters said.

By August 1, more than 182 billion cubic metres of water was held in the reservoirs 17 billion cubic metres more than at the same time last year.

In Beijing, a record 850 million cubic metres of water is stored in the Miyun Reservoir, almost the sole source of drinking water for the capital.

In the South, more than 73 billion cubic metres of water, 4.6 billion cubic metres more than at the same time last year, has flowed into 151 key reservoirs dotting the provinces and regions of Hunan, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Fujian, Hainan, Guangdong, Guangxi and Guizhou.

Last year, South China's Hainan and parts of Guangdong experienced their worst droughts in 50 years.

(Source: China Daily)