Typhoon Noul made landfall early Sunday morning, bringing strong winds and torrential rains to southern China, as well as Hong Kong, over the weekend.
This led local authorities to call for the evacuation of thousands of people in Guangdong province, along with declaring a state of maximum alert for the region, and dozens of flights were canceled.
According to The Independent newspaper, China’s National Meteorological Center (NMC) announced that Noul made landfall on the coast of Huidong county, in Huizhou city, southern Guangdong province, at approximately 03:50 AM on Sunday (15:50 in Chile).
The Hong Kong Observatory reported that the hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 145 km/h near its center, was moving inland into the province and progressively weakening, causing strong winds and intense rainfall in some parts of the area.
This is the twelfth typhoon of the year and the most powerful to make landfall east of the Pearl River estuary in the last ten years, according to state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV).
The same media outlet said that by Saturday night more than 340,000 people had been relocated for safety reasons in Guangdong alone.
Meanwhile, the China News Service news agency reported that railway services in this province were canceled for Sunday and that maritime authorities ordered more than 5,000 vessels to head to safe waters.
Authorities also suspended classes, work, commercial activities, and public transport in areas of Guangdong such as Guangzhou, Dongguan, and Shantou.
The Hong Kong airport website, meanwhile, showed that more than 150 flights had been canceled for Sunday.
China’s NMC forecast heavy rains and intense winds in some areas of southern Guangdong and southeastern Fujian, in the country’s southeast, over the weekend.
It also warned of possible urban flooding, flash floods, landslides, and mudslides.
