GUANGZHOU -- Chaba, the third typhoon of the year, made landfall in the coastal area of Maoming City in South China's Guangdong province at around 3 pm Saturday.

According to the provincial meteorological department, Chaba will move northwest at a speed of 15 to 20 km per hour, pass through Maoming and enter Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region on Saturday night.

Intense downpours and rainstorms are expected to lash the western part of the Pearl River Delta over the weekend, while the seas off Guangdong will experience strong gusts of up to about 160 km per hour, according to the meteorological forecast.

The provincial government has upgraded its emergency response level for typhoons to Level II, the second-highest, effective 8:30 am Saturday.