Coast cities in east China's Fujian Province are on 24-hour alert for Typhoon Kalmaegi, the provincial maritime bureau said on Thursday.

The storm is expected to bring heavy rain in the next two days to Quanzhou, Xiamen and Zhangzhou in Fujian, Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province and Shanghai city.

Tourists embark to leave Nanji Island as the typhoon Kalmaegi approaches Wenzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, July 17, 2008. More than 600 tourists on Nanji Island have been evacuated to safe places till 13 pm Thursday. The storm is speculated to hit the coast of Zhejiang province as early as Friday.

Kalmaegi, escalated to typhoon level on Thursday morning, was moving northwest from Hualien County, Taiwan, bringing winds gusting up to 108 kilometers per hour at its center.

Kalmaegi, the seventh tropical storm to hit Fujian this year, is also expected to hit neighboring Zhejiang Province and Shanghaion Friday and Saturday.

The heavy rain would continue in Fujian until this weekend, according to the weather services.

Flood-control, offshore fishery and marine authorities in Fujian, Zhejiang and Shanghai have sent out warnings for early preparations against the storm.

Fishermen fasten the towrope as the typhoon Kalmaegi approaches Taizhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, July 17, 2008. The storm is speculated to hit the coast of Zhejiang province as early as Friday.

Fishermen tidy the fishing net as the typhoon Kalmaegi approaches Taizhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, July 17, 2008. The storm is speculated to hit the coast of Zhejiang province as early as Friday.

(Xinhua News Agency July 18, 2008)