FUZHOU, June 24 (Xinhua) -- East China is bracing for the arrival of severe tropical storm Fengshen, which is forecast to make a landfall in the coastal provinces of Fujian and Guangdong on Wednesday.

    The Fujian provincial meteorological observatory issued a warning at 6:33 a.m. on Tuesday, saying strong winds would hit the southern coastal area and the Taiwan Straits in the next 24 hours.

    Vessels should return to harbor, it warned.

    Fengshen was moving through the northeast South China Sea, around 470 km south of Shantou, Guangdong, at 5 a.m. on Tuesday, according to the China Central Meteorological Station.

    The storm, with winds of up to 108 km per hour, was forecast to move north at a speed of 15 km per hour, the station said.

    The storm had been downgraded from a typhoon and was likely to land in the coastal areas between Shanwei, Guangdong, and Zhangpu, Fujian, during the day on Wednesday, bringing heavy rain, it added.

    "The storm would seriously affect Fujian, especially the areas hit by rainstorms earlier this month. We are on high alert against potential mountain torrents and geological disasters," said Zhang Changping, Fujian vice governor.

    Guangdong's flood control headquarters implemented its typhoon emergency response plan late Monday. It ordered ships to return to harbor and the evacuation of people at marine fish farms in low-lying coastal areas.

    The headquarters also ordered close monitoring of reservoirs, dams and spillways as water levels in several reservoirs had exceeded the warning marks. Factories, schools and markets in severely-hit areas should halt operations.