BEIJING — A strong typhoon roared into southern China on Sunday, bringing powerful winds and heavy rain to the region after forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands of people. Typhoon Mujigae made landfall near the city of Zhanjiang in Guangdong province just after 2 p.m., according to the National Meteorological Center. The center had already issued a red alert — China's highest level of weather preparedness — warning that as much as 280 millimeters (11 inches) of rain could fall in some places from Sunday morning to Monday morning. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage from the storm. Packing winds of 180 kilometers (112 miles) per hour at its center, Mujigae was moving northwest at about 20 kph (12 mph), the meteorological center said. The typhoon is expected to lash both Guangdong and the resort island province of Hainan, where thousands of Chinese have flocked during the weeklong National Day holiday that runs through Wednesday. It is expected to weaken as it heads further inland over the next two days. Scores of flights in and out of Hainan's main airport in the provincial capital of Haikou have been canceled, and high-speed rail service between Haikou and the tourist center of Sanya was suspended on Saturday and on Sunday. More than 60,000 fishing boats returned to port in the two provinces and more than 40,000 fishermen working on fish farms moved to shelters, according to the provincial government websites. Mujigae, meaning rainbow in Korean, is the 22nd typhoon of the year overall. — AP
