Typhoon Noul strikes Guangdong as authorities evacuate over 700,000 residents

Typhoon Noul made landfall on the coast of Huidong county in Huizhou, southern Guangdong province, at approximately 3:50am local time on Sunday. According to China’s official Xinhua News Agency, the storm is the strongest to make landfall in China so far this year. The system brought strong winds and heavy rain to the region, including Hong Kong, before moving inland and weakening progressively.

In response to the threat, authorities in Guangdong province had relocated more than 715,000 people by early Sunday. This figure represents a significant escalation from the 340,000 evacuations reported on Saturday. State-owned China National Radio confirmed the updated displacement numbers as the storm intensified its impact on the province.

The storm’s effects were felt acutely in Hong Kong, where the Observatory recorded maximum sustained winds of 110 kilometres per hour near the centre of Noul. Hong Kong’s airport authority cancelled approximately 350 flights on Sunday. Local authorities reported that at least nine people were injured across the city during the typhoon period.

Infrastructure damage was also reported in the region. On Saturday afternoon, a large scaffolding on a high-rise building collapsed in Hong Kong; while initial reports indicated no injuries, the total injury count has since been updated. In Guangdong province, state broadcaster CCTV reported that many trees were uprooted in Huilai county.

This event follows a series of severe weather systems earlier in July. Typhoon Bavi made landfall on 11 July, leading to the evacuation of more than two million people in eastern China, while Typhoon Maysak struck southern China on 3 July. Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration also reported rainfall in parts of southern and eastern Taiwan as Noul passed over waters south of the island.