Heavy rains started to hit the Qiongzhou Strait and China's southernmost island province of Hainan Monday morning with the approach of tropical storm Vicente.

The provincial meteorological station issued a yellow alert of the approaching storm, the second-lowest level in China's four-tier color-coded weather warning system.

Vicente is expected to land late Monday night or Tuesday morning between Taishan City in Guangdong Province and Wenchang City in Hainan, the station said.

Vicente developed into a strong tropical storm at 5 p.m. Sunday, when it was located 520 km southeast of Zhanjiang City in Guangdong.

Heavy rains are expected for Guangdong and Hainan between Monday and Wednesday and winds of up to 100 km per hour may sweep through coastal areas.

Inbound and outbound train services connecting Hainan with the mainland, via train ferries, have already been rescheduled.