Dozens of flights were delayed or cancelled in south China as severe tropical storm Kammuri approached the area bringing heavy rain and strong winds.

By 4 p.m. on Wednesday, 14 inbound and outbound overseas flights had been cancelled at Shenzhen Airport, a source said in the southern Guangdong Province, adding all flights would be delayed after the storm made landfall.

Heavy rain swept Shenzhen on Wednesday.

Kammuri was spotted 45 km southeast of Taishan, Guangdong, at 2 p.m.. It was forecast to make landfall in the coastal area between Taishan and Dianbai late on Wednesday.

In Hong Kong, more than 100 flights were delayed or canceled due to the weather. Two airlines suspended flight service from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m..

Affected by the upcoming storm, the southern island province of Hainan had precipitation of more than 100 millimeters over a 10-hour period beginning at midnight on Wednesday in 22 towns. The wet and windy weather was forecast to continue on Thursday.

(Xinhua News Agency August 7, 2008)