Typhoon Hongxia, the strongest tropical cyclone to hit China this year, slammed into the southern province of Guangdong early on Sunday, tearing roofs off buildings, flooding streets, and forcing the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of residents. The storm, known internationally as Noul, made landfall near Pinghai Town in Huidong County at around 3:50 a.m. local time, packing maximum sustained winds of 162 kilometers per hour (100 mph), according to China's National Meteorological Center.
More than 715,000 people were evacuated across Guangdong ahead of the typhoon as authorities warned of potentially deadly flooding and landslides. The provincial government suspended classes, work, production, transportation, and business activities in at least 12 cities. The storm was the first typhoon to make landfall in Guangdong this year, and it struck with such force that it ripped metal roofs from buildings and hurled debris, dumpsters, and even vehicles through the streets of Hong Kong and the neighboring city of Shenzhen.
Transportation networks were heavily disrupted. More than 190 high-speed rail services in Guangdong were canceled, and regular train services were suspended. The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge temporarily halted operations. Air travel was particularly affected, with over 1,800 flights grounded across major airports in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong. Shenzhen also partially shut down its metro lines, ports, and expressways before gradually restoring operations as conditions improved later in the day.
Hong Kong's Observatory initially raised the storm warning to Typhoon Signal No. 9, the second-highest level in the city's system, as Noul passed within 80 kilometers of the territory. The alert was later downgraded. At least 21 people were reported injured by local media, with strong winds bringing down scaffolding at a high-rise construction site in the Cheung Sha Wan district of Hong Kong. Videos circulating online showed uprooted trees, flooded roadways, and gale-force winds tearing through urban areas.
Although the typhoon weakened rapidly after moving inland, forecasters warned that heavy to torrential rain would continue across southern China through Tuesday. The highest-level flash flood alert was issued for parts of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, and Hunan provinces. Beijing activated a national emergency response for Guangdong following the landfall and dispatched a working team to assess damage, assist with evacuations and resettlement, and ensure displaced residents had access to basic necessities. The central government also allocated 100 million yuan (approximately 14.8 million US dollars) for immediate recovery efforts, with funds earmarked to repair damaged roads, water infrastructure, schools, hospitals, and other public facilities.