Shantou education department suspends classes due to Typhoon Danas

The education department in Shantou has required all schools and kindergartens to suspend classes starting Sunday morning when Typhoon Danas is approaching the coastal city in the eastern part of Guangdong province.

Classes will resume only when the city's yellow typhoon warning signal has been lifted, local authorities said.

Authorities have upgraded the city's blue typhoon warning signal to yellow, on Saturday night, urging relevant departments in the city to take concrete and effective measures to prevent and cope with the storms and gales accompanying Danas in the days to come.

China has a four-tier, color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

Danas, the fourth to hit the Chinese coast this year, has strengthened from a severe tropical storm to a typhoon on Sunday morning, according to the National Meteorological Center.

And it is moving northeast and then northeast at a speed of 10-15 kilometers per hour, with increased intensity on Sunday morning.

From Sunday evening to Monday morning, it is expected to cross the Taiwan Strait from south to north and may either brush past or make landfall along the island's western coast, NMC said on Sunday.

Danas is expected to bring strong winds and heavy rain to the southern parts of the country, it said.

Affected by Danas, major coastal cities in Guangdong, Fujian and Zhejiang provinces have been struck by storms and heavy rainfalls since Saturday.

Relevant departments and cities that Danas will possibly hit have been ordered to introduce effective measures to deal with Danas, with top priorities given to prevent and casualties and minimize economic losses, authorities said.