More than 700,000 people have been evacuated in China's Guangdong province due to Typhoon Noul, the strongest of the year. The storm brought hurricane-force winds and the threat of widespread flooding, also affecting neighboring Hong Kong, Reuters reports, according to infohub.kz.
The typhoon, the 12th tropical cyclone of the season and the third to hit China this month, made landfall in Huidong County at about 3:50 a.m. local time. Several provinces have issued the highest-level warning for flash floods.
China's National Meteorological Center forecasts heavy and locally torrential rain across much of the country's south at least through Monday morning, with some areas seeing precipitation until Tuesday. Particularly heavy downpours are expected in Fujian Province; as the typhoon moves inland, wind and rain will also affect Jiangxi and Hunan provinces. Authorities have urged local administrations to strengthen monitoring of dangerous areas — mountainous regions, river valleys, construction sites and bridges where flood risk is especially high.
In Hong Kong, according to the Hong Kong Observatory, the typhoon is gradually weakening, but the city continues to experience strong southwesterly winds. Overnight, the cyclone passed within 80 kilometers of Hong Kong. On Monday afternoon, the storm warning was lowered from No. 8 to No. 3, and Hong Kong International Airport reported a gradual resumption of flights. Earlier, air traffic had been virtually paralyzed for more than 12 hours.
Earlier, the publication Kursiv reported on Typhoon Bavi, which hit Japan.