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AUTHORITIES in southern China have evacuated more than 20,000 residents and suspended railway operations as Typhoon Noul approaches the coast, bringing the threat of severe winds and heavy rainfall.
China’s National Meteorological Center said the typhoon was expected to make landfall along the coastal region between Hong Kong and Guangdong province from Saturday evening into Sunday morning.
The centre maintained an orange typhoon alert on Saturday, the second-highest warning level under China’s four-tier emergency system, after forecasting gale-force winds and torrential rain across parts of Guangdong and neighbouring Fujian province.
AFP reported on Saturday that more than 20,000 people had been evacuated in Guangdong, state broadcaster CCTV reported in a bulletin late Friday.
Fishing vessels operating in the province were also ordered to return to ports to “shelter from the storm”, CCTV said.
Authorities announced that some train services in Guangdong would be suspended on Saturday morning, while all railway services across the province would be halted on Sunday as a precautionary measure.
Schools in Chaozhou city, Guangdong, were also instructed to suspend on-campus activities, according to local media reports.
The latest storm comes after southern and central China were battered by extreme weather earlier this month.
Typhoon Maysak triggered severe flooding in Guangxi, killing 39 people, while thunderstorms and gale-force winds linked to the storm killed 11 people and injured 331 others in the central province of Hubei.
Scientists have warned that the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events are expected to rise as global temperatures continue to increase due to fossil fuel emissions.
China remains the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitter but has also emerged as a global leader in renewable energy development, with a target of achieving carbon neutrality by 2060. - July 25, 2026
