Nearly 5,000 people in southeast China's Fujian Province have been evacuated as Typhoon Soudelor, the 13th this year, is expected to hit the province on Saturday.

The typhoon, which is moving northwestward at a speed of more than 20 km per hour, is forecast to land on the coast of Fujian Province on Saturday night after reaching Taiwan between Friday night and Saturday morning, according to the provincial flood control office.

The evacuees, mostly aquatic farm workers, have been transferred to safe locations on shore.

The province also required all fishing boats to return to harbor by 10 a.m. Friday, as gales are predicted for nearby waters later in the day.

China has a four-tier warning system for severe weather, with red being the most serious, followed by orange, yellow and blue. The National Meteorological Center first issued a yellow alert for the typhoon on Thursday morning and renewed an orange alert Thursday night.