China on alert for Typhoon Megi

China is all geared up to battle the strongest tropical storm of 2010 as 'Megi' intensified into a super typhoon on Sunday, the National Meteorological Center said in a statement.

China is all geared up to battle the strongest tropical storm of 2010 as 'Megi' intensified into a super typhoon on Sunday, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said in a statement.

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Typhoon Megi, which means "catfish" in Korean, is heading for Northern Luzon at a speed of 20 kilometres per hour after it turned into a super typhoon early on Sunday.

It is expected to enter the South China Sea on Monday, said the NMC.

With winds near the center reaching more than 56 meters per second, the super typhoon could cause wild winds and huge waves in the South China Sea in the next three days, the statement said.

The NMC issued an orange alert, the second-highest-level alert, for strong winds at 10 am local time, warning vessels to take shelter in ports and urging local authorities to prepare for emergency.

China suffered heavily in 2010 due to floods and heavy rains in which over 2500 people were killed and several hundreds went missing.