Typhoon Noul dumped heavy to torrential rains across much of southern China for two days, authorities said, after sweeping the province of Guangdong and neighbouring Hong Kong with gale-force winds, following landfall yesterday.

China declared its highest alert for flash floods in several provinces as the year’s strongest typhoon forced the relocation of more than 700,000 people in Guangdong, authorities said.

The year’s 12th tropical cyclone and China’s third this month, Noul, which means the glow of sunrise or sunset in Korean, struck the coast of Huidong county at about 3:50 am, provincial officials said.

It is expected to bring strong winds and heavy rain to nearby provinces such as Jiangxi and Hunan as it moves inland, state broadcaster CCTV said, with the rains likely to persist until tomorrow.

Extremely heavy to exceptional downpours are expected to lash some areas including the province of Fujian, as the National Meteorological Centre forecast heavy to torrential rain until this morning across much of China’s south.

Authorities urged local governments to pay special attention to flood-prone areas such as zones of mountains and rivers, building sites, valleys, and bridges.

The typhoon is weakening as it moves inland, Hong Kong’s Observatory said, though southwesterly gales pounded parts of the Asian financial hub.