HANGZHOU -- East China's Zhejiang province activated the Level-IV emergency response on Wednesday in anticipation of Typhoon Pulasan, the 14th typhoon of the year.

As of 8 am, Wednesday, the storm was 23.2 degrees north latitude and 132.3 degrees east longitude. According to local meteorological authorities, Pulasan is moving northwest at approximately 45 km per hour, with maximum wind speeds near its center reaching 23 meters per second.

China's National Meteorological Center said the typhoon is expected to make landfall along Zhejiang's coastal areas between Thursday afternoon and evening, bringing strong winds and heavy rainfall.

The center issued its blue alert for Pulasan on Wednesday morning, forecasting that the storm would affect eastern and southern regions with gales and torrential rain.

Zhejiang's meteorological authorities warned of potential secondary disasters, including waterlogging, flooding and landslides.

China has a four-tier emergency response system, with Level I being the most severe response, and a four-tier color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe, followed by orange, yellow and blue.