High waves warning issued for coastal areas of Hainan

China's maritime authority has issued an early warning for high waves that may occur in the South China Sea region due to the impacts of both a tropical depression and a southwest monsoon.

The National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center on Tuesday issued a blue warning, the lowest level in the country's four-tier color-coded weather warning system, for sea waves as high as 3 to 5 meters in the western part of the South China Sea from Tuesday to noon Wednesday.

The center also warned of waves that will measure 2 to 3 meters in the waters off the island province of Hainan.

The center said the tropical depression may develop into a tropical storm during the day on Tuesday.

It also issued a blue warning for storm tides in Hainan and urged ships and relevant government departments in affected areas to take precautions against safety risks.