China Meteorological Administration issued a red alert warning for Typhoon Meranti on Wednesday, the highest alert in a four-color warning system, Xinhua reported.
The typhoon is expected to make landfall in south Fujian early on Thursday, bringing gales with speeds up to 65 meters per second and storms with rainfall of up to 380 millimeters per hour across the region.
China's National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center also upgraded its warning for ocean waves triggered by Typhoon Meranti to "red" and the State Oceanic Administration has initiated a class-II emergency response, the second highest level.
Schools and kindergartens in coastal cities of Fuzhou, Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Quanzhou and Putian were closed Wednesday.
Under China's four-tier severe weather warning system, red is the most serious, followed by orange, yellow and blue.