Typhoon Sarika has lashed China's Hainan province, with torrential rain and winds up to 160 kilometres per hour forcing authorities on the southern island to shut schools and halt transport services.
Rail services were suspended on Monday and 250 flights were cancelled at the provincial capital Haikou's international airport, state news agency Xinhua said.
The provincial meteorological bureau expects losses from the typhoon to be "grave" as the storm was expected to be "the most powerful and destructive to land in Hainan in a decade", Xinhua said.
More than 13,700 residents in low-lying areas or unsafe houses have been evacuated, the news agency said.
Schools were shut in eight counties and tourist sites were closed to the public.
