Chaba, the third typhoon of the year, makes landfall in the coastal area of Maoming in South China's Guangdong Province at around 3 pm Saturday. Photo:VCG

As Chaba, the third typhoon of the year, made landfall in the coastal area of Maoming in South China's Guangdong Province at around 3 pm Saturday, local schools, shipping services, exhibitions and other public activities were suspended.

According to the provincial meteorological department, Chaba will move toward northwest at a speed of 15 to 20 kilometers per hour, pass through Maoming and enter Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Saturday night.

Intense downpours and rainstorms are expected to lash the western part of the Pearl River Delta over the weekend, while the seas off Guangdong will experience strong gusts of up to about 160 kilometers per hour, according to the meteorological forecast.

The Guangdong provincial government has upgraded its emergency response level for typhoons to Level II, the second-highest, effective as of 8:30 am Saturday.

It is expected that Chaba will gradually turn to the north after landfall, weaken its intensity, and dissipate in Guangxi around July 4.

Hainan, Guangdong, Guangxi and other areas are expected to receive the heaviest rainfall.

As of 8 pm on Friday, Guangdong had organized 53,728 fishing boats to return to the local ports for shelter, closed 82 seaside scenic spots and beaches, and evacuated 77,900 people to safe areas, local media reported.

All primary and secondary schools, kindergartens and after-school training institutions in Zhanjiang of Guangdong were closed on Friday. Schools in several districts of Maoming have also been suspended, according to local media reports.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has also been affected by the typhoon.

Due to Typhoon Chaba, the new Hong Kong Palace Museum (HKPM), due to open to the public for the first time on Saturday, did not open as scheduled.

The public opening of the HKPM will be postponed to Sunday and the opening hours will be extended, according to the website of the HKPM. 

Also, at 10 pm Friday, Hainan Province launched a Level II emergency response for typhoons and upgraded its emergency response for flooding and wind control to Level II.

On Friday, Hainan's maritime safety authority advised more than 2,000 ships under its jurisdiction in local waters to return to port.

The Qiongzhou Straits passenger shipping service from Guangdong to the island of Hainan were suspended on Friday and Hainan's high-speed rail and Haikou suburban trains were also suspended on Saturday.