BEIJING -?Typhoon Dianmu will hit southern China's coastal province of Guangdong Thursday evening, the National Meteorological Center forecast, issuing a blue alert.

Dianmu, the eighth typhoon this year, is approaching Guangdong's Leizhou Peninsula at a speed of 15 km per hour.

After crossing the peninsula, the typhoon will move west into the Beibu Gulf on Thursday night, gaining strength. It will make its second landfall hitting Vietnam Friday afternoon.

The typhoon will bring gales and torrential rain to parts of Guangdong, Hainan Province, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Yunnan Province.