Latest news with #TropicalStormPodul
CTV News
2 days ago
- Climate
- CTV News
Heavy rains lash southeastern China after Tropical Storm Podul makes landfall
People hold umbrellas in the rain in Hong Kong, Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025 as Tropical Storm Podul was moving away from the partially autonomous city. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei) TAIPEI, Taiwan — Heavy rains lashed parts of southeastern China on Thursday as Tropical Storm Podul made landfall after leaving one missing on the self-governing island of Taiwan. School was canceled in Hong Kong and Macao. Some Macao streets were closed because of flooding, and Hong Kong suspended court proceedings. The Hong Kong Observatory, the meteorological agency for the city, advised residents to stay away from the shore. Podul made landfall shortly after midnight in Fujian province, downgraded from typhoon strength. About 15,000 people were evacuated from seaside areas in southern China ahead of the storm, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. Southern Taiwan was cleaning up after Podol made landfall Wednesday on its east coast as a typhoon before traveling out into the Taiwan Strait about five hours later. One person was missing after being swept out to sea, about 100 people were injured and 8,000 evacuated to shelters. Electric company workers moved swiftly to restore power following complaints over a slow response following earlier storms. Separately, one person was reported dead and three others missing after heavy rains triggered a landslide Wednesday in Yunnan province in southwestern China, state media reported. In Beijing, the body of a village leader who went missing more than two weeks ago in a flood was found Wednesday, bringing the death toll from that disaster to at least 45 people. The 51-year-old official died while on her way to evacuate two old people, according to a statement issued Thursday by the Beijing Communist Party committee. It didn't say how she had died. Both she and her husband, who also died in the flood, received posthumous recognition as 'Outstanding Communist Party Member of Beijing,' the party statement said. The Associated Press
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Storm Podul drenches Hong Kong, delays key national security trial
STORY: :: August 14, 2025 :: Hong Kong :: Tropical Storm Podul raises Hong Kong's highest rainstorm warning "Last week and last month — it's been raining constantly, and raining really heavily. Even in Guangzhou, it's been raining unbelievably hard. Many places in mainland China have experienced flooding, which hasn't been good for anyone. My trip to Hong Kong this time has been completely disrupted.' :: Schools were cancelled as well as a high-profile hearing for pro-democracy advocate Jimmy Lai The hearing of Hong Kong media tycoon and pro-democracy advocate Jimmy Lai was cancelled after authorities issued their highest-level 'black' rainstorm warning, as supporters queued under umbrellas outside the court. Schools were suspended, and some hospital services were also disrupted in Hong Kong. Meanwhile, airports across the region reported cancellation rates of around 20%, according to data from Flightmaster, as Podul pelted parts of the Chinese provinces of Guangdong, Hunan, and Jiangxi with more than 2.76 inches of rain per hour. Podul made landfall on the coast of China's southeastern province of Fujian at 00:30 local time (1630 GMT Wednesday), having weakened from a typhoon to a tropical storm after lashing Taiwan on Wednesday (August 13), where winds of up to 118 mph left one person missing and scores injured. Solve the daily Crossword
Reuters
2 days ago
- Climate
- Reuters
Tropical storm Podul disrupts travel and schools in southern China
HONG KONG/BEIJING, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Tropical storm Podul on Thursday dumped torrential rain on southern China, still reeling from record downpours last week, and disrupted hospitals, schools and law courts in Hong Kong after tearing through Taiwan and leaving 143 people injured. The hearing of Hong Kong media tycoon and pro-democracy advocate Jimmy Lai was cancelled after authorities put in place their highest-level "black" rainstorm warning, as supporters queued under umbrellas outside the court. Out-patient clinics also shut until 2 p.m. (0600 GMT), and schools closed for the day. Meanwhile, airports across the region reported cancellation rates for the morning of around 20%, according to data from Flightmaster, as Podul pelted parts of the Chinese provinces of Guangdong, Hunan and Jiangxi with more than 70 mm (2.76 inches) of rain an hour. Over a third of flights to Quanzhou - a key textile, footwear and apparel export hub - were cancelled, with analysts warning extreme weather events increasingly pose a threat to growth in the world's second-largest economy. China has been battling with record rainfall in its north and south as well as prolonged heatwaves in its interior. The government on Thursday announced 430 million yuan ($59.9 million) in fresh funding for disaster relief, taking the total allocated since April to at least 5.8 billion yuan. "It's been raining constantly, and raining really heavily," said Cara Liang, a 25-year-old visitor to Hong Kong from China's neighbouring Guangdong province. "Many places in mainland China have experienced flooding, which hasn't been good for anyone. My trip to Hong Kong this time has been completely disrupted," she told Reuters in the Asian financial centre's business district. Podul made landfall on the coast of China's southeastern province of Fujian at 00:30 local time (1630 GMT Wednesday), having weakened from a typhoon to a tropical storm after lashing Taiwan on Wednesday, where winds of up to 191 kph (118 mph) left one person missing and scores injured. But its residual vortex stands to wreak havoc in southern China, still reeling from the heaviest rains in generations last week, as it moves northwest at a speed of 30-35 km per hour (19-22 mph). Hong Kong saw its heaviest August rainfall since 1884 last week, while in Guangdong, 75,000 people were evacuated as 622.6 mm (24.5 inches) of rain fell on the provincial capital Guangzhou between Aug. 2 and 6 - nearly three times the city's August average - leaving at least seven dead. "Authorities need to be extra ready," said Chim Lee, a senior analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit. "There's growing evidence that we're seeing more intense and slower-moving tropical cyclones. "China's southern coast is set for economic disruptions of all kinds. Most institutions in the region are fairly well prepared, but there also seems to be a subtle northward shift in where cyclones reach their peak intensity - these places need to keep a sharper eye out." Over one million cubic meters of water, the equivalent of 400 Olympic-sized swimming pools, was discharged from a reservoir in eastern Guangdong on Wednesday to free up space in anticipation of further heavy rain, state media reported. Authorities in Guangdong's Meizhou closed all the highways on Thursday morning due to the downpour, and the high-speed railway linking the high-tech hubs of Shenzhen and Hangzhou in eastern Zhejiang province, some 1,200 km (745 miles) away, was suspended. ($1 = 7.1705 Chinese yuan renminbi)
CNA
2 days ago
- Climate
- CNA
Tropical storm Podul disrupts southern China schools, courts
BEIJING: Tropical storm Podul on Thursday (Aug 14) dumped torrential rain on southern China, still reeling from record downpours last week, and disrupted hospitals, schools and courts in Hong Kong after tearing through Taiwan and leaving 143 people injured. The hearing of Hong Kong media tycoon and pro-democracy advocate Jimmy Lai was cancelled after authorities put in place their highest-level "black" rainstorm warning, as supporters queued under umbrellas outside the court. Medical authorities also announced that out-patient clinics would remain shut until the rain had passed. Meanwhile, airports across the region reported cancellation rates of around 20 per cent, according to data from Flightmaster, as Podul pelted parts of the Chinese provinces of Guangdong, Hunan and Jiangxi with more than 70mm of rain an hour. Over a third of flights to Quanzhou - a key textile, footwear and apparel export hub - were cancelled, with analysts warning extreme weather events increasingly pose a threat to growth in the world's second-largest economy. China has been battling with record rainfall in its north and south as well as prolonged heatwaves in its interior. The government on Thursday announced 430 million yuan (US$59.9 million) in fresh funding for disaster relief, taking the total allocated since April to at least 5.8 billion yuan. "Authorities need to be extra ready," said Chim Lee, a senior analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit. "There's growing evidence that we're seeing more intense and slower-moving tropical cyclones. "China's southern coast is set for economic disruptions of all kinds. Most institutions in the region are fairly well prepared, but there also seems to be a subtle northward shift in where cyclones reach their peak intensity - these places need to keep a sharper eye out." Podul made landfall on the coast of China's southeastern province of Fujian at 12.30am local time, having weakened from a typhoon to a tropical storm after lashing Taiwan on Wednesday, where winds of up to 191kmh left one person missing and scores injured. But its residual vortex stands to wreak havoc in southern China, still reeling from the heaviest rains in generations last week, as it moves northwest at a speed of 30-35kmh. Across Guangdong, 75,000 people were evacuated last week, as a record 622.6 mm (24.5 inches) of rain fell on Guangzhou, the provincial capital from Aug 2 to 6 - almost three times the average rainfall for the city in August - killing at least seven people. Hong Kong last week experienced its heaviest August rainfall since 1884 last Tuesday. Authorities in Guangdong's Meizhou closed all the highways on Thursday due to the downpour, state media reported, while the high-speed railway linking the high-tech hubs of Shenzhen and Hangzhou in eastern Zhejiang province, some 1,200km away, was also suspended.
Al Arabiya
2 days ago
- Climate
- Al Arabiya
Tropical storm Podul drenches southern China
Tropical storm Podul drenched southern China on Thursday, dumping more than 70 mm (2.76 inches) of rain an hour on parts of the provinces of Guangdong, Hunan and Jiangxi and disrupting hospitals and law courts in Hong Kong. The Asian financial hub issued its highest-level 'black' weather warning, adjourning the hearing of Hong Kong media tycoon and pro-democracy advocate Jimmy Lai until the torrential rain subsides, as a queue formed outside the court for the public gallery. Medical authorities announced that out-patient clinics across Hong Kong would shut until the 'black' rainstorm warning is lifted, with accident and emergency services remaining open. The postal service said it would also suspend operations due to the downpour. Podul weakened from a typhoon to a tropical storm after making landfall in Taiwan on Wednesday, where winds of up to 191 kph (118 mph) left one person missing and 143 injured, but its residual vortex stands to wreak havoc in southern China, still reeling from the heaviest rains in generations last week. China, the world's second-largest economy, faces growing threats from extreme weather, which meteorologists link to climate change. Risks that each year stand to wipe out tens of billions of dollars worth of commercial activity, as cities flood, shipping activity stalls, and croplands are washed out. Podul made landfall on the coast of China's southeastern province of Fujian at 00:30 local time (GMT 16:30 Wednesday), and is forecast to move northwest at a speed of 30 to 35 kms (21.75 miles) per hour, according to China's weather authority. A good day for the ducks, though, who will have the Hong Kong Wetland Park to themselves, which is closed for the time being.
