Flights, ferry services and trains have been cancelled and more than 850,000 people evacuated from coastal areas of eastern China in anticipation of a powerful typhoon.

Chan-hom was expected to make landfall by early Saturday at Fujian or Zhejiang province.

All flights in and out of the seaside city of Zhoushan have been cancelled and several tourist spots closed.

The powerful storm could be the strongest typhoon to strike Zhejiang province, just south of Shanghai, since 1949, according to China’s National Meteorological Centre (NMC).

The foreign office is urging visitors to ‘ monitor the progress of approaching storms and follow the advice of the local authorities, including any evacuation orders.’