Typhoon Noul: Strong winds and rain lash Hong Kong and China as storm makes landfall

Typhoon Noul made landfall in China early Sunday morning, state media reported, lashing a stretch of the southern coast with strong winds and rain in the fiercest storm to hit the country this year. Typhoon Noul making landfall in China at peak intensity on July 25, 2026. Photo: Himawari-9 geostationary satellite. Severe weather forecasts for Noul had spurred authorities to evacuate more than 340,000 people and suspend work and rail services, with major flight disruptions continuing throughout Sunday morning. The centre of the typhoon crossed over land at around 3:50 am (1950 GMT) near the town of Pinghai, Guangdong Province — about 80 kilometres northeast of financial hub Hong Kong — state broadcaster CCTV reported. Maximum sustained winds near the eye of the storm at the time of landfall were 162 kilometres (101 miles) an hour, the report said. That made Noul the strongest typhoon to strike the country so far in 2026, CCTV added. Battering winds and heavy rains were seen in footage published by CCTV Sunday, with roads strewn with debris and some small structures including a basketball net toppled by the gusts. Nine injured in Hong Kong At least 350 passenger flights departing and arriving from Hong Kong had been cancelled on Sunday, the airport’s website showed. Hong Kong had issued its second-highest storm signal, T9, overnight, but it was replaced by the T8 signal in the morning. “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 over high ground,” the Hong Kong Observatory said. The Hong Kong government said it has received over 100 reports of fallen trees, and nine people were injured. Typhoon Noul in Hong Kong. Photo: AFP, HKPF, Acco Choi. “After landfall, Noul will move inland, bringing strong winds and rain to Jiangxi, Hunan and Hubei provinces,” CCTV said. The report noted that precipitation caused by the typhoon could last through Tuesday, including in provinces as far north as Henan and Shandong. Authorities in Guangdong elevated the province’s disaster relief emergency response to its third-highest level on Sunday morning. Safeguard press freedom; keep HKFP free for all readers by supporting our team Support HKFP | Policies & Ethics | Error/typo? | Contact | Newsletter | Transparency & Annual Report | Apps Make a one-off donation. Dateline:Beijing, China Type of Story: News ServiceProduced externally by an organization we trust to adhere to high journalistic standards. Agence France-Press (AFP) is "a leading global news agency providing fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the events shaping our world and of the issues affecting our daily lives." HKFP relies on AFP, and its international bureaus, to cover topics we cannot. Read their Ethics Code here More by AFP