Beijing: Typhoon Noul made landfall in China early Sunday morning, state media reported, lashing a stretch of the southern coast and prompting emergency relief in the fiercest storm to hit the country this year.
Severe weather forecasts for Noul had spurred authorities to evacuate more than 340,000 people and suspend work and rail services, with major flight disruptions continuing throughout Sunday morning.
The centre of the typhoon crossed over land at around 3:50 am (1950 GMT) near the town of Pinghai, Guangdong Province -- about 80 kilometres northeast of financial hub Hong Kong -- state broadcaster CCTV reported.
Maximum sustained winds near the eye of the storm at the time of landfall were 162 kilometres (101 miles) an hour, the report said.
That made Noul the strongest typhoon to strike the country so far in 2026, CCTV added.
Before gaining intensity on Saturday over the South China Sea, Noul had already left a path of damage, clipping the extreme northern islands of the Philippines.
Three people were killed and one was missing due to the typhoon, the Philippine government's disaster agency said Sunday.
More than 9,300 people had been evacuated and 235 houses had suffered damage, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council added.
In southern China early Sunday, battering winds and heavy rains were seen in footage published by CCTV, with roads strewn with debris and some small structures including a basketball net toppled by the gusts.
Authorities in Guangdong elevated the province's disaster relief emergency response to its third-highest -- then second-highest -- level in successive updates on Sunday morning.
At least 350 passenger flights departing and arriving from Hong Kong had been cancelled on Sunday, the airport's website showed.
Hong Kong had issued its second-highest storm signal, T9, overnight, but it was replaced by the T8 signal in the morning.
"Noul is moving steadily into inland Guangdong and weakening progressively, but gales are still affecting many places over Hong Kong, with occasional storm force winds over high ground," the Hong Kong Observatory said.
The Hong Kong government said it has received over 100 reports of fallen trees, and nine people were injured.
"After landfall, Noul will move inland, bringing strong winds and rain to Jiangxi, Hunan and Hubei provinces," CCTV said.
The report noted that precipitation caused by the typhoon could last through Tuesday, including in provinces as far north as Henan and Shandong.
The central government's National Development and Reform Commission allocated 100 million yuan ($14.8 million) to support Guangdong in post-typhoon recovery efforts, including reconstruction of damaged roads and infrastructure. - AFP
