Beijing, Aug 27 (IANS): China's National Meteorological Center (NMC) on Thursday renewed a red alert, the highest warning level, for typhoon Bavi, which is expected to bring gales and rainstorms to the country's northeast region.

The typhoon, eighth of this year, is expected to move northward at a speed of 40 km to 50 km per hour before making landfall in the coastal areas between Donggang city of Liaoning province and North Korea's North Pyongan province, reports Xinhua news agency.

The typhoon was observed at waters about 195 km south of the border of China and North Korea at 5 a.m. on Thursday, with a maximum wind force of 136.8 km per hour near its eye, the NMC said.

From Thursday morning to Friday morning, gales are expected to hit the Bohai Strait, parts of the Yellow Sea, provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning as well as coastal areas off the Shandong Peninsula, according to the NMC.

During the same period, some regions in Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning and Inner Mongolia will witness heavy downpours, with some areas pounded by up to 150 mm of rainfall, the NMC said.

The centre has advised people and vessels in disaster-prone areas to take shelter from winds.