Photo: Nanfang Plus
Typhoon Podul made landfall over Guangdong in the pre-dawn hours of August 14 and has since weakened to a tropical storm as it moved inland. Despite the drop in wind intensity, the storm continues to unleash intense rainfall across the province.
Regions including Heyuan, Meizhou, and Shanwei remain under the most severe red-level rainstorm warnings, while areas such as Jieyang, Shantou, and Chaozhou face orange warnings. Yellow alerts have been issued for cities like Shaoguan, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Jiangmen, and Yangjiang.
Forecasts from the Central Meteorological Observatory of CMA predict that from 8 am on August 14 until 8 am on August 15, eastern Guangdong and its coastal areas will experience strong winds. Heavy to torrential downpours are expected across Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, and Guizhou, with localized rainfall possibly exceeding 250 mm. Some regions could even see hourly rainfall of over 70 mm, accompanied by gusts from thunderstorms.
Within Guangdong, the coast from the Pearl River Estuary to eastern Guangdong is expected to receive rain ranging from torrential to ultra-heavy, while inland areas such as Shaoguan, Qingyuan, Heyuan, the southern part of Meizhou, and the northern Pearl River Delta will experience heavy to very heavy rain. Inland heat lingers: daytime temperatures are forecast to reach 32-34°C in western parts and 28–31°C elsewhere.
Officials expect conditions to begin easing on August 15, with persistent showers transitioning to lighter rain and thunderstorms. Interior and western Guangdong will see clearer skies, though isolated downpours may persist in the south.
Guangzhou weather forecast:
August 15:
Heavy to very heavy rain gradually changing to scattered thunderstorms.
Temperatures: 24–30 °C.
August 16:
Mostly cloudy with occasional thunderstorms.
Temperatures: 25–33 °C.
Typhoon Podul disrupts flights and train schedules in Guangdong
Due to the impact of Typhoon Podul, Guangdong's transport authorities and airlines have issued urgent service updates.
Photo: China Southern Airlines
Flights to Xiamen cancelled
China Southern Airlines has suspended several routes to and from Xiamen due to deteriorating weather conditions.
On August 13:
CZ3805 (Guangzhou–Xiamen), CZ3806 (Xiamen–Guangzhou)
CZ5709 (Zhengzhou–Xiamen), CZ5710 (Xiamen–Zhengzhou)
CZ8877 (Beijing Daxing–Xiamen)
On August 14:
CZ8878 (Xiamen–Beijing Daxing)
Passengers impacted by these cancellations are encouraged to check the status of their flights online or via official channels, where rebooking or refund options are available. Customer support is accessible via the hotline 95539.
High-speed rail schedule disrupted in Guangzhou
The China Railway Guangzhou Group has withheld service on multiple high-speed lines as a precaution:
On August 13, services on the Hangzhou-Shenzhen, Ningbo-Guangzhou, Meizhou-Shantou and Meizhou-Longchuan lines were suspended, following the disruptions already seen on the Beijing-Guangzhou and Beijing-Kowloon earlier in the week.
All affected rail services remained halted until 10:30 AM on August 14, after which trains were expected to resume gradually depending on updated weather conditions. Passengers can track train statuses via the official 12306 website or app, the sole official online ticketing platform.
Full refunds are permitted within 30 days (including the day of travel) and incur no fees. Those with cash purchases or printed reimbursement documents may claim refunds within 180 days, upon presenting valid ID at the ticket office.