Typhoon Noul made landfall early Sunday bringing strong winds and heavy rain to southern China, including Hong Kong, over the weekend.

It prompted the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people in Guangdong province with the region on high alert and hundreds of flights cancelled.

The typhoon – the strongest to make landfall in China so far this year – will dump 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.

China declared its highest alert for flash floods ⁠in several provinces.

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 about 3:50 am, 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 media said, with the rains likely to persist until Tuesday.

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 from Sunday until Monday 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.

Hong Kong’s Observatory said Noul, with maximum sustained winds of 110 km/h (68 mph) near its centre, was moving Sunday into inland Guangdong and weakening progressively.

More than 715,000 people had been relocated for safety in Guangdong province, according to state media. Train services in the province were cancelled for Sunday, according to China News Service.

China’s National Meteorological Center expected parts of southern Guangdong and south-eastern Fujian provinces to experience heavy rain and strong winds. Many trees were seen uprooted in Huilai county, located on the coast of Guangdong province, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

People brave the heavy wind and rain as they cross a street in Hong Kong. Photograph: Tyrone Siu/Reuters

Hong Kong’s airport authority said about 350 flights were cancelled Sunday. At least nine people were injured across the city during the typhoon period, according to authorities. Officials said flights will gradually begin resuming on Sunday afternoon.

As Noul approached Hong Kong, parts of a large scaffolding on a high-rise building collapsed on Saturday, police said, although initial reports indicated there were no injuries.

Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration said Noul was bringing rainfall to parts of southern and eastern Taiwan. It was passing over waters south of Taiwan, and was moving away from the island on Saturday.

Earlier this month, Typhoon Bavi brought strong winds and rain to eastern China, leading to the evacuation of more than 2 million people. It made landfall on 11 July. Another, Maysak, made landfall in southern China on 3 July.

With Associated Press and Reuters