BEIJING - This year's 21st tropical storm Washin will approach the South China Sea and bring strong winds to the area from Saturday night to Sunday, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said Saturday.

The storm will sweep northwest from the Sulu Sea off southwest the Philippines at a speed of 20-25 km per hour to enter the southeastern part of the South China Sea from Saturday night to Sunday morning, the NMC said in a statement.

The storm will pack up winds moving at 13.9-24.4 meters per second on the sea, with the speed reaching 24.5-32.6 meters per second in parts of the area, according to the statement.

At least 172 people have died and hundreds remain missing when Washin brought heavy downpour that caused massive flooding in the Philippines on Saturday, local military officials said.