BEIJING, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- China's national observatory said Wednesday that typhoon Soulik, the country's 19th this year, will bring strong winds to the east coast through tomorrow.

The center of the strong typhoon was over the northeast of the East China Sea at 5 a.m., packing winds up to 48 meters per second, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said, adding that Soulik will move northwestward at a speed of about 20 km per hour with weakening force.

From now to Thursday morning, the typhoon will bring gales to the coastal areas of Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, as well as some areas of the East China Sea, the NMC said.

On Wednesday morning, the center renewed a blue alert for Soulik, the lowest level in a four-tier color-coded warning system.

The NMC suggested local governments take precautions against possible disasters, and ships in affected areas return to ports.