Beijing, 26 July (H.S.):China's National Meteorological Centre (NMC) on Sunday morning issued a Red Alert after Cyclone Noul made landfall in Guangdong Province in southern China. The maximum wind force near the cyclone's centre reached Force 14. According to the Centre, Noul weakened into a tropical storm later in the morning. China follows a four-tier, colour-coded weather warning system for tropical cyclones, with Red representing the highest level of alert, followed by Orange, Yellow and Blue.

According to reports by *Xinhua* and the *Beijing Daily*, the National Meteorological Centre also issued a Red Alert for heavy rainfall and a Yellow Alert for severe convective weather on Sunday morning. Along with the Yellow Alert, the Centre called for strengthened efforts to prevent and respond to disasters such as flash floods and landslides.

Earlier on Saturday, the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters upgraded its emergency response for flood and typhoon control in Guangdong Province to Level III. At the same time, Level IV emergency responses were activated in Jiangxi and Hunan provinces to deal with potential flooding. The Centre said that late on Saturday night, the cyclone's centre was located over the sea about 100 kilometres southeast of Huidong County in Huizhou City, Guangdong Province.

The National Meteorological Centre forecast that Cyclone Noul would move northwestward at a speed of around 20 kilometres per hour and intensify further before making landfall. After landfall, the system is expected to move north-northwestward and gradually weaken.

Officials of the Hong Kong Observatory said that more than 410 flights and 150 high-speed rail services were cancelled on Saturday due to the approaching cyclone. The Home Affairs Department also opened 28 temporary shelters as a precautionary measure in view of the severe weather threat.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar