BEIJING -- China's national weather observatory on Saturday renewed a blue alert as Typhoon Haikui continues to bring gales to the South China Sea.

At 5 p.m. Saturday, the eye of Haikui was over the South China Sea, 325 km northeast of Sansha, Hainan Province, packing winds of up to 25 meters per second, according to the National Meteorological Center (NMC).

Most of the South China Sea, the Taiwan Strait, the Bashi Strait, parts of Fujian and Guangdong provinces will be hit by strong gales from Saturday evening to Sunday evening.

The typhoon is expected to make landfall on southern China, according to the NMC.

The NMC suggested local governments take precautions against disasters, and ships in affected areas return to port.

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