BEIJING, July 24 -- China's National Meteorological Center (NMC) on Wednesday morning issued an orange alert for Typhoon Gaemi, which is expected to bring strong wind and heavy rain to the country's southern regions.

Typhoon Gaemi, the third typhoon of this year, was located 260 km southeast off Taiwan's Yilan County at 5 a.m. on Wednesday. It is forecasted to travel northwestward at a speed of 10 to 15 km per hour, with its strength likely to increase gradually, said the NMC.

The typhoon is expected to make landfall along the coast of central and northern Taiwan Wednesday night. After crossing the island, it is projected to make a second landfall between Thursday afternoon and night along the coast between Fujian's Fuding and Jinjiang.

The typhoon will further move northward to inland areas of China, with its intensity gradually decreasing, according to the NMC.

Affected by the typhoon, gales are forecasted to sweep parts of the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea including the waters near the Diaoyu Islands, the South China Sea, the Bashi Channel, the Taiwan Strait, as well as the coastal areas of Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangsu, Shanghai and Taiwan, the Yangtze River estuary area and Hangzhou Bay from 8 a.m. Wednesday to 8 a.m. Thursday, it said.

Meanwhile, parts of Zhejiang, Fujian and Taiwan are expected to see heavy rainstorms, with precipitation up to 600 mm, the center said.

The center has urged local authorities to prepare emergency typhoon response measures and remain on high alert for possible flooding and geological disasters.