East China's coastal provinces face the threat of heavy storms on Friday as Typhoon Matsa approaches, the National Meteorological Centre warned on Thursday.

Having started out as a tropical storm, Matsa is forecast to advance across the southeastern East China Sea, before slamming into coastal areas of east China's Zhejiang Province.

Resultant strong gales are predicted for Taiwan, parts of Fujian, Zhejiang, Shanghai and Jiangsu with accompanying rainstorms.

"Coastal authorities should be well prepared for the typhoon as it could combine with a local spring tide to cause increased devastation," the centre warned.

Following the downpours earlier this week, torrential rains will continue to lash eight provinces across northeast, central and east China, including parts of Liaoning, Shandong, Anhui, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Hunan and Zhejiang.

In Hong Kong, two Cathay Pacific flights bound for Taiwan were canceled, according to local media on Friday.

The two flights, CX 407 and Flight CX 403, were scheduled to depart from Hong Kong at 8:00 AM and 9:30 AM respectively.

Taiwan's stock and foreign exchange markets were closed on Friday.

Matsa is also likely to batter east China's Shanghai between August 5 and 7 with high winds and torrents, according to local meteorological and flood control departments.

Judging from its trajectory, Matsa is expected to move toward Shanghai after it lands in east China's Zhejiang province and passes through Hangzhou Bay.

It will be the most severe typhoon in Shanghai in the last eight years, the municipal meteorological station said, adding that it will bring heavy rainstorms and strong winds to the city.

In Zhejiang Province, the provincial meteorological bureau has warned of landslides and mud-rock flows in coastal areas and southern parts of the province.

In related news, a heavy rainstorm has claimed four lives as at noon on Wednesday in east China's Anhui Province. Some 1.87 million others have been affected.

The provincial civil affairs department said on Thursday that heavy rainstorms have also been beating down on four other cities -- Suzhou, Bengbu, Huaibei and Fuyang -- in the northern part of the province since Tuesday morning.

The rains have damaged 166,666 hectares and completely destroyed 24,666 hectares of farmland, according to the department, adding that the direct economic loss was estimated at 500 million yuan (US$60.2 million).

(Xinhua News Agency, China Daily August 5, 2005)