Typhoon Noul is nearing the southern coast of China, prompting a high alert across the region, including Hong Kong, for anticipated heavy rain and strong winds over the weekend. The Hong Kong Observatory reported that Noul, with maximum sustained winds of 130 kph (81 mph) near its center, was moving steadily across the northeastern part of the South China Sea on Saturday and approaching the coast of eastern Guangdong province.
The observatory forecasts that Noul could make landfall early Sunday morning in the vicinity of the southern Chinese cities of Huizhou and Shanwei. These areas, along with parts of the region, are expected to experience heavy squally showers and thunderstorms.
China's National Meteorological Center has predicted heavy rainfall for parts of southeastern Guangdong and the southern coast of Fujian province throughout Saturday and Sunday. Meanwhile, Taiwan's Central Weather Administration indicated that Noul would bring rainfall to southern and eastern parts of the island as it passed over waters south of Taiwan on Saturday before moving away.
This storm follows a series of recent typhoons that have impacted eastern China. Typhoon Bavi led to the evacuation of over 2 million people earlier this month after making landfall on July 11. Another storm, Maysak, made landfall in southern China on July 3.