Typhoon Noul makes landfall in southern China; over 800,000 evacuated

Typhoon Noul, the 12th typhoon of 2026, made landfall in Guangdong Province early Sunday morning with maximum sustained winds of Force 14 (approximately 130 km/h or 81 mph), making it the strongest typhoon to strike China so far this year. The storm moved across the northeastern South China Sea before hitting the coast between Huizhou and Shanwei, then continued northwestward across inland Guangdong and weakened progressively to tropical storm strength.

Chinese authorities implemented extensive emergency measures ahead of and during the typhoon's impact. Over 801,000 people were evacuated from Guangdong Province by Sunday, with the largest concentrations in Huizhou (205,000) and Shanwei (192,000). The National Meteorological Center issued a red alert—the highest level in China's four-tier typhoon warning system—on Saturday evening, later downgrading it to orange after landfall. Hong Kong's Observatory issued progressively higher signals, reaching the No. 8 (Gale or Storm) signal on Saturday night and the No. 9 signal early Sunday before downgrading to the No. 3 Strong Wind Signal by midday Sunday.

Flood control responses were elevated across multiple provinces. China's Ministry of Water Resources upgraded its emergency response from Level IV to Level III for Jiangxi, Hunan, and Guangdong provinces on Sunday, citing high risks of mountain floods. Risk assessments identified 43 counties in contiguous areas across these provinces facing red-alert-level mountain flood risks. Additionally, Level-IV responses were maintained for Fujian, Henan, Hubei, and Guangxi. From Sunday morning to Monday morning, heavy to torrential rains caused water levels to rise above warning levels on 40 rivers nationwide, with the largest excess reaching 3.92 meters above warning thresholds.

Infrastructure disruptions were significant across the affected region. Hong Kong airport cancelled approximately 350 flights on Sunday alone, with more than 700 flights cancelled across the weekend. Over 190 high-speed rail services were cancelled on Sunday in mainland China. Maritime authorities in Guangdong guided 5,109 vessels to safe areas, with another 418 directed across jurisdictional boundaries to shelter in western Guangdong, Hainan Province, and waters off northern Fujian. A scaffolding collapse occurred on a high-rise building in Hong Kong on Saturday with no reported injuries, and at least 21 people were injured across Hong Kong during the typhoon period.

China's central government allocated 100 million yuan (approximately $14.7–14.8 million USD) from the national budget to support post-disaster recovery in Guangdong, designated for restoring damaged infrastructure including roads, water conservancy facilities, schools, and hospitals. The National Commission for Disaster Prevention, Reduction and Relief activated a Level-IV national disaster relief emergency response for Guangdong on Sunday. A total of 25,000 pieces of disaster relief supplies—including folding beds, blankets, and emergency kits—were dispatched to Guangdong, Jiangxi, and Hunan on Sunday.

Typhoon Noul was the third major typhoon to affect China within one month, following Typhoon Bavi (which made landfall on July 11 and prompted the evacuation of over 2 million people) and Typhoon Maysak (which made landfall on July 3). Prior to reaching China, Noul caused at least three deaths and displaced many residents in the Philippines due to flooding and heavy rain. Taiwan experienced heavy rainfall as the typhoon passed south of the island without making direct landfall.