BEIJING, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- China's disaster relief authority launched a level III emergency response, as Typhoon Lekima is expected to make landfall in the coastal areas of east China's Zhejiang Province Saturday, the Ministry of Emergency Management said Thursday.

The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters has dispatched work teams to guide local relief work, the ministry said.

The ministry called on related departments to intensify real-time monitoring of weather changes and issue alerts promptly to reduce damages and ensure people's safety.

Typhoon Lekima, the ninth of the year, strengthened into a super typhoon on Wednesday night and is expected to be downgraded when it lands in Zhejiang, according to the National Meteorological Center (NMC).

Earlier, the NMC issued a yellow alert for the typhoon. China has a four-tier color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe weather, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

The powerful typhoon will bring strong winds and rainstorms to Taiwan, Shanghai and the provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Shandong.