Typhoon Noul threatens flooding across southern and central China

The remnants of Typhoon Noul pushed deeper into China on Tuesday, threatening heavy flooding across southern and central provinces as forecasters warned the weakened storm could linger inland longer than usual. The National Meteorological Center said torrential rain, fueled by the southern monsoon, was expected through Thursday in Fujian, Guangdong, Jiangxi, Hunan, Hubei, Henan and Guangxi.

China’s Ministry of Water Resources had already activated a Level-IV flood-control emergency response on July 25 in those seven provincial-level regions, a signal that officials were preparing for more than a coastal weather event. Noul made landfall in southern China on July 26 and brought heavy rain and gale-force winds to Guangdong and neighboring Hong Kong, where flight cancellations hit Hong Kong International Airport.

Authorities moved quickly in Guangdong, where more than 20,000 people were evacuated as Noul approached. Hundreds of thousands of residents were evacuated in connection with the storm, reflecting the scale of the rainfall threat as the system weakened but kept moving inland. Ten people were killed after Noul made landfall in southern China, adding pressure on emergency crews already trying to keep low-lying neighborhoods and river basins from being overwhelmed.

The bigger danger after landfall is the water that follows the wind. Prolonged flooding in Guangdong, Hunan, Hubei, Henan and the other affected provinces can cut highways and rail lines, swamp farmland and slow the movement of goods through factories and logistics hubs that link China’s inland markets with its southern ports. China had entered its peak flood season on July 22, and the late-July storm added another test for drainage systems, evacuation planning and river control across densely populated corridors that are central to the country’s economy.