Twin Tropical Cyclones Set to Batter China's Eastern Seaboard

China's eastern seaboard braces for two tropical cyclones this week, with Prapiroon making landfall on Sunday night. The storm follows deadly flash floods in the country’s interior, while Gaemi is expected to brush Taiwan and hit China later this week as a typhoon.

Two tropical cyclones are poised to bring fierce gales and heavy rainfall to China's eastern seaboard this week, with the initial impact expected on Sunday. This development follows a spate of deadly flash floods that recently devastated the country's interior regions.

Named after a Thai rain god, Prapiroon is anticipated to strike China's southernmost island province of Hainan on Sunday night as a potent tropical storm. As of 7 a.m. (2300 GMT), Prapiroon, the year's first tropical cyclone to hit China, had its center approximately 275 km (170 miles) southeast of the Hainan city of Wanning, according to national forecasters.

Forecasters warn that Prapiroon's maximum wind speeds could reach up to 30 meters per second (110 kph) upon landfall. The National Meteorological Centre has issued alerts for torrential rains in Hainan and along the coast of Guangdong. Later this week, another storm, Gaemi, currently about 530 km (330 miles) northeast of Manila, Philippines, is predicted to graze northern Taiwan before making landfall in China as a typhoon, packing wind speeds of up to 50 meters per second (180 kph).

(With inputs from agencies.)