Typhoon Noul is impacting southern China, including Hong Kong, with strong winds and heavy rain this weekend. The storm has led to the evacuation of hundreds of thousands in Guangdong province, with the region on high alert. Numerous flights have also been canceled due to the severe weather.

The Hong Kong Observatory reported that Noul had strengthened with sustained winds of 90 mph near its center. It was moving across the South China Sea, nearing Guangdong as of Saturday. The forecast suggests Noul could make landfall Sunday morning near Huizhou and Shanwei and proceed inland, leading to strong winds and squalls in the area.

China’s weather center also anticipates Noul to make landfall early Sunday, affecting southern Guangdong and southeastern Fujian with heavy rain and strong winds throughout the weekend.

By Saturday afternoon, over 340,000 people in Guangdong had been evacuated, according to state broadcaster CCTV. Train services in the province have been canceled for Sunday, as per the China News Service.

Hong Kong’s airport website indicated over 150 flights had been canceled for Saturday and Sunday, with additional cancellations possible. In response, mainland authorities issued a high-level red typhoon alert Saturday evening. Hong Kong’s observatory issued the storm signal No. 8, the third-highest in the city.

As Noul approached, scaffolding on a high-rise building in Hong Kong collapsed on Saturday afternoon. Local police stated that initial reports showed no injuries. Meanwhile, Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration noted the typhoon was causing rainfall in southern and eastern Taiwan, though it was moving away from the island by Saturday.

Earlier, this month saw Typhoon Bavi hit eastern China, leading to over 2 million evacuations, and Typhoon Maysak made landfall in southern China on July 3.