China evacuates 20,000 as Typhoon Noul approaches

Authorities in southern China have evacuated more than 20,000 people and halted railway services as Typhoon Noul bears down on the region, threatening torrential rain and gale-force winds.

The National Meteorological Center forecasts the typhoon will make landfall along the coast from Hong Kong to Guangdong province between the evening of July 25 and the morning of July 26. An orange typhoon alert, the second-highest level, was in effect on July 25, with warnings of severe weather for Guangdong and neighboring Fujian province.

State broadcaster CCTV reported late on July 24 that over 20,000 people had been evacuated in Guangdong, and fishing vessels had returned to port to seek shelter. The province is set to suspend some train services on July 25 and all services on July 26. Schools in Chaozhou city, Guangdong, were also instructed to suspend on-campus activities.

Southern and central China have already experienced devastating weather this July. Typhoon Maysak triggered deadly floods in Guangxi, killing 39 people, while thunderstorms and high winds in Hubei province claimed 11 lives and injured 331. Scientists warn that extreme weather events are becoming more intense and frequent globally due to climate change driven by fossil fuel emissions. China, the world's largest emitter, is also a leader in renewable energy, aiming for carbon neutrality by 2060.

“

shelter from the storm