Typhoon Noul strengthened into a severe tropical storm on Friday as it moved toward southern China, with forecasters warning it could make landfall late Saturday, bringing destructive winds and heavy rainfall to parts of Guangdong and Fujian provinces.
The storm, the 12th named typhoon of the year, formed from a tropical depression east of the Philippines early Friday. By 2 pm on Friday, Noul was centered in the Bashi Channel, about 836 kilometers east-southeast of Shanwei in Guangdong.
According to the National Meteorological Center, the storm had a maximum sustained wind speed of 25 meters per second.
Lyu Xinyan, chief forecaster at the center, said that Noul is expected to move west-northwest at 25 to 30 km per hour while continuing to intensify. It is forecast to make landfall in the southeastern coastal area of Guangdong sometime between Saturday evening and early Sunday. Once it has made landfall, the storm is expected to turn northward and gradually weaken as it moves inland.
Until Sunday, Noul is expected to combine with monsoon moisture to produce torrential rain across Guangdong, Fujian and Jiangxi provinces.
Lyu said that parts of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi and Hunan province are expected to receive widespread heavy to torrential rainfall. Some coastal and mountainous areas of Guangdong and Fujian could receive 400 to 500 millimeters of precipitation.
The storm”s outer rainbands are also expected to bring heavy rain to western parts of the Sichuan Basin, helping ease the current heat wave, she added.
As the storm approaches, China’s emergency management authorities are stepping up preparedness efforts.
On Friday, the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters dispatched a working group to Guangdong to assist local authorities with disaster prevention.
Local authorities have urged ships to return to port and suspended marine and island tourism activities. They also called on coastal communities to secure buildings and prepare for flooding and other storm-related hazards.
Airline and passenger rail services across Guangdong are expected to be significantly affected by Typhoon Noul.
Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport announced that it will optimize its emergency response plans.
To ensure passenger safety, China Railway Guangzhou Group said it will begin suspending high-speed and conventional train services across Guangdong on Saturday, with all such services expected to be suspended by the end of Sunday.
Qiu Quanlin in Guangzhou contributed to this story.
zhaoyimeng@chinadaily.com.cn