Guangdong cities suspend classes as Typhoon Saudel approaches coast

Multiple cities on the eastern coast of Guangdong province have issued class-suspension alerts for Typhoon Saudel on Wednesday, as the regenerated tropical cyclone is forecast to make landfall or skim the coastal stretch from Shantou to Huizhou between Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. Saudel has the potential to make even more landfalls, authorities warned.

Nan'ao county in Shantou issued a Typhoon Yellow Warning at noon on Wednesday, which triggered the class-suspension alert.

Some districts in Chaozhou, Jieyang, Shantou, and Zhuhai have also activated the typhoon blue warning signal, their highest-level alert, according to the National Meteorological Center (NMC) on Wednesday.

Nan'ao Bridge, linking Nan'ao Island to the mainland, has been closed to traffic starting at 2 pm on Wednesday. The reopening time will be released at a later date based on local weather, the bridge's administrative committee said in a statement on Wednesday.

Relevant coastal cities likely to be affected by Saudel have been required to introduce concrete and effective measures to brace for the typhoon, with top priorities being minimizing casualties and economic losses. Saudel is estimated to bring raging storms, strong gales, and downpours, local authorities said.

At 8 am Wednesday, the eye of the storm sat roughly 195 kilometers east‑southeast of Shanwei, Guangdong, above the northeastern South China Sea. It packed maximum winds of Force 8 (18 meters per second), and its Force‑7 wind field extended 100‑300 km from the core, NMC said in a statement.

Saudel meandered across the northeastern South China Sea on Wednesday before shifting toward west‑southwest at night. Starting Thursday, it will travel west along Guangdong's coast, the statement said.

From 2 pm Wednesday to 2 pm Thursday, parts of Guangdong, Fujian, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi provinces will experience heavy downpours or extreme torrential rain.

Enhanced rainfall‑defense measures are required in the provinces and regions that will be hit by Saudel, according to the statement.