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Phoebe Zhang

Trains were stopped, schools were halted and residents were evacuated in southern China as Typhoon Noul headed towards the coast.
The National Meteorological Centre issued an orange typhoon alert – the second highest level in a four-tier system – on Saturday morning as it moved northwest across the South China Sea at a speed of 20km/h (12mph).
It was expected to land somewhere between Hong Kong and Lufeng in eastern Guangdong overnight with wind speeds of up to 151km/h and then move north.
Strong winds and heavy rain have been forecast for parts of Guangdong, Fujian and Taiwan, and the meteorological centre warned that boats should be docked and large gatherings cancelled, while urging residents to stay indoors as far as possible.
The typhoon arrives only two weeks after Maysak and Bavi, which caused havoc across large swathes of China – stretching from Guangxi in the far south to Jilin and Liaoning in the northeast – and caused at least 39 deaths.
By Saturday afternoon, the eye of the storm had started to form and its rain belts were already affecting coastal cities.
Even after landing, the wind and rain would not end immediately, the meteorological centre said, as the typhoon was expected to pull large amounts of moisture inland from the sea.
State broadcaster CCTV warned that although the typhoon was not especially large, it was moving quickly and growing in strength.
The city of Shanwei had already been hit by heavy rain and waves of up to 2 metres (6.5ft), according to CCTV. The city’s beaches were closed and the local authorities warned of even bigger waves – of up to 6.5 metres – near the coast.
The city imposed a level-one emergency response, the highest alert level, for strong winds with local government workers and troops placed on standby for disaster relief efforts.
Huang Kunming, Guangdong’s party secretary, said Noul would be the first typhoon to make direct landfall in the province this year, and told local authorities to be “combat ready” and act to minimise the damage from the storm.
Rail operators have started cancelling services across the province and all trains would be halted by Sunday, the authorities said.
Meanwhile, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge remained open to traffic on Saturday but tours of the structure were halted for two days.
Temporary traffic controls were also imposed on the waters surrounding the bridge, and vessels in the area were told to take preventive measures and seek shelter from the wind.
Across the border from Hong Kong, the authorities in Shenzhen ordered all shipping to be moored and ferry routes to several islands and ports in Zhuhai were halted for the weekend. Further east, the Nanao Bridge in Shantou will be closed from Saturday afternoon.




Flights were also affected, with some airlines cancelling services to and from Shenzhen and Jieyang. Carriers, including Air China, Shenzhen Airlines and Xiamen Airlines, have said passengers affected may rebook for free or get a refund.
Meanwhile, cities within 100km of the expected landing area, including Chaozhou, Jieyang and Shantou, closed all kindergartens, nurseries and extracurricular training centres.
As of Friday afternoon, Guangdong had evacuated 20,596 residents, and put eight emergency rescue helicopters, 14 salvage ships and 90 tugboats on standby, CCTV reported.
Lu Xinyan, the National Meteorological Centre’s chief forecaster, said Typhoon Noul was smaller and had spent less time over the sea compared with Bavi and Maysak, giving it less time to gather strength.
But she warned that typhoons could suddenly grow stronger so the centre would continue to monitor its progress and issue alerts as necessary.


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The third typhoon to hit the country this month is expected to make landfall overnight bringing heavy rains and strong winds


The third typhoon to hit the country this month is expected to make landfall overnight bringing heavy rains and strong winds.


Shenzhen rail and air services cancelled as southern China braces for Typhoon Noul

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The third typhoon to hit the country this month is expected to make landfall overnight bringing heavy rains and strong winds

The third typhoon to hit the country this month is expected to make landfall overnight bringing heavy rains and strong winds