Typhoon Noul makes landfall in China, with hundreds of thousands evacuated

What the report says

Al Jazeera, reporting with AP and Reuters, said Typhoon Noul struck southern China early Sunday, affecting Guangdong province and neighbouring Hong Kong with powerful winds and heavy rain. China’s national weather centre reported that the storm came ashore near Huidong county in Huizhou, Guangdong, at about 3:50 a.m. local time on July 26, 2026. State media described Noul as the strongest typhoon to make landfall in China so far this year.

Authorities in Guangdong had moved more than 715,000 people to safer locations by early Sunday, according to state-owned China National Radio. That figure rose from about 340,000 evacuees announced on Saturday. China’s National Meteorological Centre warned that parts of southern Guangdong and southeastern Fujian could see heavy rainfall and strong winds over the weekend. CCTV reported uprooted trees in coastal Huilai county.

Hong Kong also faced disruption as the storm passed through the region. The Hong Kong Observatory said Noul had maximum sustained winds near its centre of 110 km/h and was weakening as it moved inland across Guangdong on Sunday. Hong Kong airport authorities said around 350 flights were cancelled, and city officials reported at least nine injuries during the typhoon period. Police said sections of scaffolding on a high-rise building collapsed on Saturday, with no injuries initially reported.

The storm also brought rain to southern and eastern Taiwan as it tracked over waters south of the island before moving away, Taiwan’s weather agency said. Noul follows other recent storms in China, including Typhoon Bavi earlier in July and Tropical Storm Maysak, underscoring the continuing risk of severe weather during the regional typhoon season.