Authorities in China's Hainan island have evacuated tens of thousands of people, closed schools and suspended rail transport ahead of the expected landfall of Typhoon Utip, Xinhua reports.

More than 16,000 people have been relocated from construction sites, low-lying flood-prone areas and areas threatened by flash floods. More than 40,000 boat workers have been moved ashore.

Utip is expected to bring heavy rains of more than 100 millimetres in six cities and counties, as well as winds of up to 101 km/h.

Hainan suspended high-speed rail services and the southernmost city of Sanya closed schools and tourist sites.

Utip, the first typhoon to make landfall in the country this year, formed over the South China Sea on June 11, the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) said. 

It may make landfall along the coast from western Guangdong to Guangxi again on June 14, retaining the "intensity of a strong tropical storm" before turning northeast and gradually weakening.

For several summers now, China has been subjected to extreme weather events ranging from heat waves and drought to heavy rains and floods. | BGNES