Typhoon Noul Hits Southern China, Over 715,000 People Evacuated

Typhoon Noul struck southern China early this morning, bringing strong winds and heavy rainfall, which also affected Hong Kong over the weekend.

Due to the severe weather, more than 715,000 people have been evacuated in Guangdong province, while authorities have raised the alert level and hundreds of flights have been canceled.

The Chinese National Meteorological Center announced that Typhoon Noul made landfall at around 3:50 a.m. local time along the coast of Huizhou city in Guangdong province. The Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported that Noul is the strongest typhoon to hit China this year.

The Hong Kong Observatory stated that Noul, with maximum sustained winds of 110 kilometers per hour, is moving inland in Guangdong province and gradually weakening, but continues to bring strong winds and heavy rainfall to parts of the region.

Rail traffic in the province was suspended on Sunday.

State television CCTV reported that a large number of trees were knocked down by the storm in the coastal district of Huilai.

The Hong Kong airport authority announced that about 350 flights were canceled today. According to local authorities, at least nine people were injured during the passage of the typhoon.