Shenzhen in South China's Guangdong Province is hit by afternoon thunderstorms as Typhoon Noul nears on July 25, 2026. Photo: VCG

Typhoon Noul, the strongest typhoon to hit China this year, brought destructive winds and heavy rains to South China's Guangdong Province, forcing the evacuation of 715,351 people, grounding more than 700 flights in Guangzhou and Shenzhen, and prompting China's top economic planner to allocate 100 million yuan ($14.79 million) for post-typhoon recovery.

China's National Commission for Disaster Prevention, Reduction and Relief launched a Level IV disaster relief response on Sunday and the National Development and Reform Commission allocated central government budget funds to support post-typhoon recovery in Guangdong Province, focusing on repairing damaged infrastructure, schools, hospitals and other public facilities, China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Sunday.

Typhoon Noul, the 12th typhoon of the year, made landfall in Huidong county, South China's Guangdong Province, on Sunday morning as a strong typhoon, with maximum sustained winds near its center reaching 45 meters per second. It was the first typhoon to hit Guangdong this year and the strongest to make landfall in China so far in 2026, surpassing typhoons Maysak and Bavi, CCTV reported. It had weakened to a severe tropical storm as of Sunday 10 am while moving inland, projected to bring heavy rainfall.

On Saturday night, China's national observatory issued a red typhoon alert - the highest level in the country's typhoon warning system. At 6 am on Sunday, the national observatory continued to issue an orange typhoon alert, a red rainstorm alert, and a yellow severe convective weather alert, according to CCTV. 

As of 2 pm Sunday, no casualties had been reported in Huidong county, a staff member from the Huidong county emergency management bureau told the Global Times on Sunday. The typhoon caused power outages affecting about 100,000 households, with more than half restored by Sunday morning. It also caused over 30 road blockades and knocked down more than 5,000 trees, CCTV reported. The staff member noted that relevant situations have been forwarded to relevant departments for handling. 

A resident from Jilong township of Huidong county told the Global Times on Sunday that his home experienced power and water outages after the typhoon. The power distribution equipment in his basement was inundated and malfunctioned. He also noticed that some wire poles and streetlights were toppled and that glass doors were shattered. However, by Sunday afternoon, the floodwater on the road near his home had already receded.

To cope with the impacts of Noul, central authorities on Sunday also allocated 25,000 pieces of central disaster relief supplies to Guangdong, as well as Jiangxi, and Hunan provinces to help evacuate and temporarily settle affected residents. The supplies, including folding beds, tables, quilts and blankets, and emergency kits.

Chinese meteorological researchers for the first time used drone swarm observation technology to conduct high-frequency, multi-dimensional observation experiments throughout the entire process of the typhoon's landfall, providing critical real-time data to improve typhoon monitoring and forecasting capabilities.

After landfall, Typhoon Noul is expected to move inland, bringing strong winds and heavy rain to provinces including Jiangxi, Hunan and Hubei. Its slow-moving circulation is likely to prolong rainfall through Tuesday, with impacts extending as far as Henan and Shandong provinces, according to CCTV. 

The National Meteorological Center forecasts heavy to torrential rain from 8 am Sunday to 8 am Monday across much of Guangdong, southern Fujian, central and southern Jiangxi, southeastern Hunan, and southeastern Taiwan, with extremely heavy to exceptional downpours expected in parts of central and eastern Guangdong, southern Jiangxi, southeastern Hunan, and southern Fujian. 

China's Ministry of Water Resources on Sunday upgraded its flood control emergency response for Jiangxi, Hunan, and Guangdong from Level IV to Level III, and sent two additional teams to Jiangxi and Hunan to assist with flood control efforts. Local authorities were urged to closely monitor Typhoon Noul and strengthen surveillance in high-risk areas, including mountain rivers, flash flood zones, construction sites, and valley attractions.

As of 0:00 on Sunday, Guangdong had evacuated 715,351 people. 12 cities, including Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Huizhou, Shantou, and Zhuhai, had imposed full or partial "five suspensions" measures, halting classes, work, production, transport, and business activities, chinanews.com.cn reported.

Residents are urged to follow official forecasts and warnings, avoid non-essential travel, and stay alert for secondary disasters including landslides, flash floods, river flooding, and urban inundation, weather.com.cn reported. 

Typhoon Noul disrupted air travel in Guangdong, with airlines at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport canceling 377 flights by Sunday morning. Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport also canceled 374 flights, with the flight delay rate reaching 71.43 percent as of 10:40 am Sunday.