China declares highest flash flood alert as Typhoon Noul hits land, forces thousands to relocate

Jerusalem Post/Environment & Climate ChangeThe year's 12th tropical cyclone and China's third this month, Noul, which means the glow of sunrise or sunset in Korean, struck the coast of Huidong County at about 3:50 a.m.Follow us on GoogleWorkers clear fallen debris and obstacles from the road after Typhoon Noul, in Hong Kong, China, July 26, 2026.(photo credit: REUTERS/TYRONE SIU)ByREUTERSJULY 26, 2026 10:30Typhoon Noul will dump heavy to torrential rains across much of southern China for two days, authorities said, after sweeping the province of Guangdong and neighboring Hong Kong with gale-force winds, following landfall on Sunday.China declared its highest alert for flash floods in several provinces as the year's strongest typhoon forced the relocation of more than 700,000 people in Guangdong, authorities said.The year's 12th tropical cyclone and China's third this month, Noul, which means the glow of sunrise or sunset in Korean, struck the coast of Huidong county at about 3:50 a.m., provincial officials said.It is expected to bring strong winds and heavy rain to nearby provinces such as Jiangxi and Hunan as it moves inland, state broadcaster CCTV said, with the rains likely to persist until Tuesday.Extremely heavy to exceptional downpours are expected to lash some areas including the province of Fujian, as the National Meteorological Center forecast heavy to torrential rain from Sunday until Monday morning across much of China's south.A person sits beside fallen palm leaves after Typhoon Bavi passed through the coastal village of Diaocaocun, Taizhou, Zhejiang province, China, July 12, 2026. (credit: REUTERS/Go Nakamura)Typhoon weakening as it moves inlandAuthorities urged local governments to pay special attention to flood-prone areas such as mountainous and riverine zones, building sites, valleys, and bridges.The typhoon is weakening as it moves inland, Hong Kong's Observatory said, though southwesterly gales pounded parts of the Asian financial hub, where authorities downgraded the typhoon signal to No. 3 from No. 8 by afternoon.Overnight, the storm had passed within 80 km of Hong Kong.Hong Kong airport authorities said flights will gradually resume on Sunday afternoon, after being mostly suspended for more than 12 hours.The Environment and Climate Change portal is produced in cooperation with the Goldman Sonnenfeldt School of Sustainability and Climate Change at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. The Jerusalem Post maintains all editorial decisions related to the content.Follow us on Google