The severe weather system called Noul is rapidly advancing through the waters of the South China Sea, expected to hit the southern coast of Chinese territory and the metropolis of Hong Kong this July 26th. The storm gained significant strength in the hours before impact on the mainland, generating destructive gusts that placed coastal authorities in a state of maximum readiness to mitigate damage.
- Current position: waters of the South China Sea
- Danger classification: severe storm
- Direction and speed: moving northwest at 20 km/h
- Barometric pressure in the core: 960 hPa
- Sustained winds near the center: 40 meters per second
- Peak gusts recorded: 55 meters per second
Direct impacts and dangerous gusts in the Hong Kong metropolitan area
Identified as the twelfth cyclone of the season, the system appeared in the early hours of July 24 and evolved frighteningly as it crossed the ocean. With little time left to make landfall, the storm showed no signs of weakening, consolidating an atmospheric pressure of 960 hPa and sustaining continuous winds of 40 m/s within just 48 hours of its initial detection.
Forecast models indicate that the center of the cyclone should cross the map around 100 kilometers east of Hong Kong, but the radius of destructive winds is already engulfing the urban area. Residents have reported gusts exceeding 20 m/s between skyscrapers, which often force the Hong Kong Observatory to paralyze public transport, suspend flights and close local businesses to avoid tragedies. The entire southern coastal strip of China will remain under a strict weather warning for 24 hours on July 26.
As soon as the storm core enters continental territory, friction with the land will cut off its source of oceanic energy, causing rapid degradation. Meteorologists estimate that the system will be downgraded to tropical depression status within the next day.
Climate anomalies mark the year 2026 in the Pacific Ocean
The emergence of this cyclone consolidates the fourth severe formation in the month of July, coming shortly after the passage of Haishen, which developed on the 13th. This volume of storms in a single month accurately reflects the historical climatological average for this period of the year, which usually records around 3.7 similar events.
What makes 2026 an exceptional year for global meteorology is the uninterrupted frequency of cyclones, which already exceeds the accumulated average with four extra storms by the middle of the year. This atypical behavior of the oceans requires Asian civil defenses to urgently review their evacuation and flood containment protocols. The most alarming fact is that there was the formation of at least one typhoon every month, from January to July. Since modern records began in 1951, this continuous phenomenon has only occurred in 1965 and 2015, highlighting the abnormal warming of waters that fuels these superstorms.
The origin of the international baptism of the Asian storm
The official nomenclature of cyclones that originate in the Northwest Pacific follows a rigorous catalog consisting of 140 words, created by a consortium of countries that are part of the World Meteorological Organization’s Typhoon Commission. This list works on a perpetual rotation system, where each new storm receives the next designation as soon as it reaches the strength necessary to be classified.
For the twelfth extreme event of the year, the word chosen was “Noul”, a direct contribution from the North Korean government. In Korean vocabulary, the term is used in a poetic way to describe “sunset”, an ironic contrast to the darkness and destruction that the phenomenon brings to the densely populated areas of Asia.