Typhoon Noul, the strongest storm to strike China this year, made landfall at Huizhou in eastern Guangdong province at around 3:50am on Sunday, unleashing heavy rain and gale-force winds that paralysed transport across southern China and neighbouring Hong Kong.
The storm swept northwest across the South China Sea before crashing ashore with wind speeds of up to 151km/h, prompting authorities to evacuate hundreds of thousands of residents, halt rail services and suspend classes across the region.
China’s National Meteorological Centre escalated its warnings rapidly as the system intensified, issuing its first red typhoon alert of the year on Saturday evening — the highest level in the country’s four-tier system. The centre had earlier raised an orange alert on Saturday morning as Noul moved toward the coast at 20km/h.
The tech and manufacturing hubs of Shenzhen and Guangzhou bore the brunt of the disruption. High-speed rail services and flights across Guangdong were cancelled on Sunday, cutting off two of the country’s most economically vital cities as floodwaters and strong winds battered urban centres.
In Hong Kong, the Observatory issued the No 8 storm signal at 10:10pm on Saturday as Noul closed to within 100km of the city. The signal remained in force at least until noon on Sunday, with more than 700 flights and over 190 cross-border high-speed rail services cancelled. Winds linked to the storm caused a scaffolding collapse in the city.
“Noul is moving steadily into inland Guangdong and weakening progressively, but gales are still affecting many places over Hong Kong, with occasional storm-force winds offshore and over high ground,” the Hong Kong Observatory stated on Sunday.
The travel chaos left about 2,000 passengers stranded overnight at Hong Kong International Airport. In the departure hall, nearly all chairs were occupied on Sunday morning, with some travellers resting on luggage trolleys and others sleeping on benches while monitoring flight boards.
Several stranded passengers complained that nearby hotel room rates had surged from HK$2,000 (approximately $255) to HK$3,000 per night amid the surge in demand.
The disruption underscores the recurring toll extreme weather takes on the densely populated Pearl River Delta, a region that has faced a series of climate-related challenges in recent years. Hong Kong authorities have previously moved to bolster protections for outdoor workers during periods of intense heat, reflecting broader concerns over resilience to severe conditions.
Forecasters expect Noul to continue weakening as it tracks further inland, though residual rain bands and strong winds are likely to persist across parts of Guangdong and Hong Kong. Transport operators are expected to resume services in stages once storm signals are lowered.