Southern China and Hong Kong are bracing for the arrival of Typhoon Noul, a powerful storm that has already triggered mass evacuations and widespread travel disruptions across the region. By Saturday afternoon, officials in Guangdong province reported that more than 340,000 people had been moved to safety as the area remains on high alert. The storm, which intensified to reach maximum sustained winds of 90 mph near its center, is currently tracking across the South China Sea.
Mainland Chinese authorities escalated their emergency response on Saturday evening by issuing a red typhoon alert, the highest tier in their warning system. Simultaneously, the Hong Kong Observatory raised the storm signal to No. 8, the third-highest level in the city's alert framework. As preparations for the storm intensified, local authorities reported that a section of scaffolding on a high-rise building collapsed on Saturday afternoon; however, initial reports indicated that no injuries occurred.
Weather experts expect the typhoon to make landfall in the early hours of Sunday morning, with the storm likely hitting the vicinity of the southern Chinese cities of Huizhou and Shanwei. Following landfall, the system is expected to move inland, bringing significant squally showers and strong winds to parts of Guangdong and southeastern Fujian provinces. In anticipation of the severe weather, train services throughout Guangdong have been canceled for Sunday.
Aviation has also been heavily impacted, with the Hong Kong airport website confirming the cancellation of more than 150 flights scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, with further disruptions possible. Meanwhile, Taiwan's Central Weather Administration noted that while the storm brought rainfall to parts of southern and eastern Taiwan, it has since moved away from the island. This latest weather event follows a series of storms that have impacted China this month, including Typhoon Bavi, which led to the evacuation of over 2 million people on July 11, and Typhoon Maysak, which struck the region on July 3.
