China's national observatory on Wednesday upgraded the alert for Typhoon Doksuri to the highest level of red, as the fifth typhoon this year is expected to bring gales and downpours to the southern and eastern parts of the country.

The upgrade was made by the National Meteorological Center only four hours after it issued an orange alert at 6 am.

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

The typhoon, observed over the ocean about 350 kilometers south of Taiwan at 8 am Wednesday, is expected to move northwest at a speed of 10 to 15 km per hour, the center said in a media release.

Forecast shows that the cyclone will enter the northeastern part of the South China Sea between Wednesday evening and Thursday morning and then make landfall in coastal areas of Fujian and Guangdong provinces on Friday morning.

Aside from raging a vast stretch of sea areas, including parts of Bashi Channel and the South China Sea, it said, gales the typhoon brings will also strike Taiwan island and coastal areas of Fujian.

It said the Taiwan island and the eastern part of Zhejiang province will experience heavy downpours over 24 hours starting 2 pm Wednesday. The precipitation in some areas in the eastern and southern parts of Taiwan are expected to reach 250 to 400 millimeters during the time.

Zhejiang braces for Typhoon Doksuri

Heavy downpours of 100 to 150 millimeters are expected in southeastern Zhejiang province on Wednesday and Thursday,  the National Meteorological Center said.

Authorities in Zhejiang are following the development of the typhoon closely and taking a series of precautions. More than 15,600 fishing boats have been asked to return to port, and preparations have been made to guard against secondary disasters such as mountain torrents, floods and landslides as of 7 pm on Tuesday.

To ensure the safety of tourists, 1,964 travelers have been evacuated so far from Nanji, Beiji and Beilong islands in Wenzhou, Zhejiang, as of 5 pm Tuesday. Local authorities in Zhejiang have also issued an advisory to halt mass gatherings, as well as dangerous outdoor operations.

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

Train routes to be suspended ahead of Typhoon Doksuri's landfall

Dozens of trains traveling within Guangdong province and between Guangdong and Zhejiang province will be suspended in the following two days, as Typhoon Doksuri is expected to make landfall in the coastal areas between Fujian province and Guangdong on Friday morning, according to railway operators.

On Thursday, up to 163 trains will be suspended. This includes lines from Shenzhen, Guangdong to Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang, and from Meizhou to Shantou, both in eastern Guangdong, according to the China Railway Guangzhou Group.

Also on Thursday, four trains from Beijing to Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong and five more trains along Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong will be suspended.

Continuing on Friday, up to 40 trains from Hangzhou to Shenzhen and from Meizhou to Shantou will be suspended, the railway operators said.

Reporter: Hou Liqiang, Ma Zhenhuan, Qiu Quanlin