Typhoon Koinu, which means “puppy” in Japanese, will bring heavy rain along the coasts of Guangdong and neighbouring Fujian province in the next three days, China’s National Meteorological Centre (NMC) said.

The NMC said rainfall in Guangdong could reach more than 300mm. It also issued a yellow alert for strong winds, the third highest in a four-coloured warning system.

Guangdong province has suspended dozens of ferry routes since late yesterday and the NMC warned tourists to stay away from beach resorts on the last day of a week-long national holiday today.

Typhoon Koinu was travelling around 144kph off the coast of the southern Guangdong city of Shanwei as of 8am today, said the NMC, slowing down from the 252kph yesterday in Taiwan.

The typhoon is expected to weaken into a strong tropical storm later today as it heads west along China’s southern coast, it said.

Typhoon Koinu killed one person and injured nearly 400 people in Taiwan, causing the most extensive damage on the remote Orchid Island off Taiwan’s east coast, which is home to around 5,000 people, although no one was injured on the island.

More than 70 boats were overturned or sunk in a harbour on the island, two schools were seriously damaged, and power was cut due to the typhoon. An air force helicopter was flying in engineers to restore electricity today.