BEIJING?-- The national observatory on Saturday maintained its blue alert, the lowest level of a four-tier warning system, for Aere, the 19th typhoon of the year.

At 5 am, the eye of the typhoon was above the South China Sea some 275 km to the southeast of Hong Kong, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said in a statement.

The typhoon will linger above the northern part of the South China Sea before moving toward the coasts of Hainan and Guangdong provinces on Monday.

From Saturday morning to Sunday morning, heavy rain and gales are expected to affect China's southeastern coastal areas including Guangdong, Fujian, Zhejiang and Taiwan, the NMC said.

The NMC suggested local governments in affected areas take precautions against possible geological disasters such as mountain torrents.

China has a four-tier color-coded system for severe weather, with red being the most serious, followed by orange, yellow and blue.