Typhoon Noul made landfall in southern China early on Sunday, bringing powerful winds and heavy rain to Guangdong province and Hong Kong, prompting the evacuation of more than 700,000 people and the cancellation of hundreds of flights and train services, says AP.
China’s national weather centre said Noul came ashore along the coast of Huidong county in the city of Huizhou, southern Guangdong, at around 3:50am on Sunday.
The state-run Xinhua news agency described it as the strongest typhoon to hit China so far this year, with the region placed on high alert as authorities scrambled to move residents out of harm’s way.
More than 715,000 people had been relocated to safety across Guangdong province, according to state-owned China National Radio, while train services throughout the province were suspended for the day, the China News Service reported.
Hong Kong’s Observatory said Noul, packing maximum sustained winds of 110 kilometres per hour (68 miles per hour) near its centre, was moving inland over Guangdong on Sunday and gradually weakening, though it continued to bring strong winds and heavy rain to parts of the region.
China’s National Meteorological Centre said southern Guangdong and southeastern Fujian provinces were expected to see heavy rain and strong winds over the weekend. State broadcaster CCTV reported that numerous trees had been uprooted in Huilai county, on the Guangdong coast.
In Hong Kong, the airport authority said roughly 350 flights had been cancelled on Sunday, while local authorities said at least nine people had been injured across the city during the storm.
As Noul approached on Saturday afternoon, part of a large scaffolding structure on a high-rise building collapsed, police said, though initial reports suggested no one had been hurt.
Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration said Noul had brought rainfall to parts of the island’s south and east as it passed over waters to the south, before moving away from Taiwan on Saturday.
The storm follows two other typhoons to strike China in recent weeks. Typhoon Bavi brought strong winds and rain to eastern China after making landfall on 11 July, triggering the evacuation of more than two million people. Typhoon Maysak had earlier made landfall in southern China on 3 July.
