Tropical storm Lekima, the 15th tropical storm for this year, is expected to lash south China with heavy rain and strong gales during the weeklong National Day holiday period, said sources with the provincial meteorological observatory of Guangdong on Sunday.

Formed at 11 AM on Sunday over the South China Sea, the tropical storm was located at 15.3 degrees north and 115.6 degrees east, according to the observatory.

Lekima is packing winds of about 65 kilometers per hour at its eye and is heading westward at a speed of 10 to 15 kilometers per hour, and is gaining momentum.

It is forecast to unleash rain and gales on south China's Guangdong and Hainan Provinces, and tourists to the coastal areas are warned to be on alert during the first two or three days of the "golden week".

Lekima is a type of fruit in Vietnam.

(Xinhua News Agency October 1, 2007)