(xinhua)
Updated: 2007-08-17 11:27

The meteorological station of Fujian Province in East China said Friday that super typhoon Sepat might land in the province on Saturday evening or Sunday morning, bringing strong winds and torrential rains.

The station said in its latest forecast that Sepat was moving northwestward at 15 to 20 km per hour toward Taiwan Province and was expected to hit land early Saturday, before crossing the Taiwan Strait to Fujian, according to the Fujian meteorological station.

Winds caused by Sepat along the coast would gain strength on Friday evening and speeds might exceed 160 km per hour on Saturday and Sunday, while rain might reach coastal areas of Fujian on Saturday.

Sepat, which formed early on Monday east of Luzon Island in the Philippines, became a super typhoon at around 8:00 pm on Wednesday.

The eye of the typhoon was 450 kilometers southeast of Taiwan, packing winds of up to 216 km per hour, at 5:00 am on Friday, according to the Fujian meteorological station.

Sepat, named after a Malaysian freshwater fish, is the ninth tropical storm of this year to hit the region.

South China's Guangdong Province and East China's Zhejiang Province are also closely monitoring the progress of Sepat and recalling vessels to harbor.