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Kristen Cheung

The No 8 storm signal will remain in force at least until noon, the Hong Kong Observatory has said, with more than 700 flights and over 190 cross-border high-speed rail services cancelled on Sunday as Typhoon Noul batters the city.
“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 offshore and over high ground,” the weather forecaster said on Sunday.
“The gale or storm signal No 8 will remain in force at least until noon. Depending on the degree of weakening of local winds, the Observatory will then consider issuing the strong wind signal, No 3.”
At 9am, Noul – the city’s first major storm of the year – was centred about 80km (50 miles) north-northeast of Hong Kong and was forecast to move northwest or north-northwest at about 15km/h (9mph) crossing inland Guangdong.




The forecaster said that under the influence of rainbands associated with Noul, there would be frequent heavy squally showers and thunderstorms on Sunday.
The Observatory issued the amber rainstorm warning – the lowest level in a three-tier system – at 5am, with about 30mm (1.2 inches) of rainfall recorded in eastern parts of the New Territories in an hour.
The Hospital Authority said that, as of 8am, nine people had been injured during the typhoon period. They received medical treatment at public hospital accident and emergency departments.
The government’s 1823 call centre and the Fire Services Department received 21 reports and 95 reports of fallen trees, respectively. A total of 228 people sought shelter at 29 temporary government shelters opened in various districts.


Across the city, many residents spent a sleepless night as the typhoon intensified beyond expectations. Violent gusts howled and wailed, rattling windows and slamming buildings, leaving households wide-awake through the early hours.
The Observatory lowered the typhoon signal to No 8 at 7.10am, six hours after it raised the No 9 warning at 1.10am. The forecaster issued the No 3 typhoon signal at 1.20pm and No 8 at 10.10pm on Saturday.
A check of Hong Kong airport’s website showed that 339 arrival and 376 departure flights on Sunday had been cancelled.
According to the Airport Authority, as of 4.50pm on Saturday, 29 departure and 20 arrival flights had been cancelled. It said it would activate its flight rescheduling control system to facilitate orderly operations once weather permitted.
Cathay Pacific Airways has grounded all flights until 6pm on Sunday, with services expected to resume gradually from the evening into Monday.

The MTR Corporation said in the early hours of Sunday that open sections of rail and Light Rail services would be suspended starting from the first train to ensure the safety of passengers. It said it would maintain a limited train service in underground sections until further notice.
The MTR’s Island line resumed full service at 8am. All Light Rail services resumed at about 8.30am except for routes 614 and 615.
At about 9am, the Kwun Tong line and the Airport Express returned to full service, while the East Rail line between Admiralty and Fo Tan stations also restarted operations.

It also said it had been notified by mainland Chinese railway authorities that all high-speed rail trips between Hong Kong’s West Kowloon station and mainland destinations before 4pm on Sunday would be cancelled.
A check on the MTR’s website showed 194 train services had been cancelled on Sunday and six on Monday.
The Education Bureau said all classes of all-day schools had been suspended on Sunday, while arrangements for evening ones would be announced later.
The typhoon name Noul, provided by North Korea, means “glowing crimson skies”.

On social media, people described a frightening, sleepless night as the city weathered the storm.
“Just as I was about to fall asleep, I heard extremely strong winds, and what I think might have been impact sounds,” one social media user said. “My heart skipped a beat, and I was awake again. It was a constant cycle the whole night.”
Others said they had not heard winds roar with such force in years and that they had underestimated Noul’s intensity.
“In all my years, I do not think I have ever experienced wind making such loud slapping sounds, whistling like a flute and howling – it was scarier than a movie scene,” another resident wrote.




An online video shared by a Yuen Long resident, filmed from their flat window at around 6am, showed trees below swaying violently as the wind howled. The resident described the gusts as “demon winds” with the footage capturing an eerie, high-pitched wailing that rose and fell like a siren.
Another video filmed at around 5.40am from outside a flat showed balcony doors rattling violently in the wind, with the resident describing the noise as sounding like debris being swept along the street by the powerful gusts.


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Hong Kong weather

Waves crash onto the Kennedy Town promenade on Sunday morning. Photo: Karma Lo

A section of bamboo scaffolding in Sha Tin felt the force of the typhoon. Photo: Sam Tsang

A tree fell onto a section of the East Rail line. Photo: Handout

Umbrellas are put to the test on the Kennedy Town promenade early on Sunday. Photo: Karma Lo

The typhoon knocked over this bus shelter in Sai Kung. Photo: Dickson Lee

The storm lashed Hong Kong overnight. Photo: Dickson Lee

Passengers wait for MTR services at City One station. Photo: Sam Tsang

Hundreds of flights in and out of Hong Kong airport have been cancelled because of the storm. Photo: Handout

A section of scaffolding has collapsed at a building along Cheung Sha Wan Road. Photo: Karma Lo

A section of scaffolding collapsed onto a building. Photo: Karma Lo

Cathay Pacific says it has cancelled all its flights in and out of Hong Kong between 1.15am and 6pm on Sunday.  Photo: May Tse

Travellers take a rest at Hong Kong International Airport. Photo: Dickson Lee

The city’s weather forecaster has said T1 will be issued at 8.40pm on Friday. Photo: Sam Tsang

Shenzhen rail and air services cancelled as southern China braces for Typhoon Noul

Rail operators have started cancelling services in Guangdong. Photo: CCTV

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More than 700 flights and over 190 high-speed rail services on Sunday have been cancelled


More than 700 flights and over 190 high-speed rail services on Sunday have been cancelled.


Typhoon Noul: T8 signal to remain in force at least until noon

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}More than 700 flights and over 190 high-speed rail services on Sunday have been cancelled

More than 700 flights and over 190 high-speed rail services on Sunday have been cancelled