Typhoon Noul strands 2,000 at Hong Kong airport as South Korea issues highest heat wave alert

Typhoon Noul stranded about 2,000 passengers overnight at Hong Kong International Airport, forcing hundreds of flight cancellations while a separate heat wave emergency warning was issued for parts of South Korea with temperatures forecast to reach 39 C.

Typhoon Noul Disrupts Hong Kong Airport

About 2,000 passengers were stranded overnight at Hong Kong International Airport as Typhoon Noul battered the city. [1] In the airport's departure hall, almost all the chairs were occupied on Sunday morning, with some passengers sitting on luggage trolleys. [1] Many slept on benches, while others anxiously checked the status of flights on their phones. [1] Yeung Tat-wing, the Airport Authority's director of service delivery, said the airport was expected to handle a total of 675 flights on Sunday, while 350 had been cancelled. [1] At least 29 departure and 20 arrival flights were cancelled on Saturday. [1] Yeung said most flights would resume on Sunday afternoon and all three runways would operate overnight if necessary. [1] Airport Express services resumed at 9am on Sunday, and Yeung said he hoped all airport operations would return to normal by Monday morning. [1] While many flights were grounded over the weekend, a check on the authority's website showed that 70 flights landed in Hong Kong between 10.10pm on Saturday and 12.40pm on Sunday, when the Observatory issued the No 8 and No 9 storm signals. [1]

Passenger Experiences and Complaints

Yeung Tat-wing noted that around 2,000 people had stayed overnight at the airport, most of them departing passengers. [1] Tong, a traveller from Hangzhou, arrived in Hong Kong at 10pm on Saturday night with his family. [1] They were en route to Malaysia but their connecting flight was cancelled because of the typhoon and rescheduled for Monday morning. [1] He acknowledged that the disruption was caused by "uncontrollable factors" but said the situation was troublesome, as many hotels were packed and that some room rates had gone up from HK$2,000 to as high as HK$3,000 per night. [1] Tong added that adults could manage the discomfort but the situation was especially tiring with a young child in tow. [1] Bernard Duyao, a Filipino tourist heading to Manila after a holiday in Hong Kong, travelled to the airport on a tour bus at 4pm on Sunday. [1] But his flight was cancelled and he had to stay in Hong Kong for another two nights. [1] "It's disappointing, but it's up to nature - we can't do anything about this," he said, adding that he planned to return to the city centre and check into a hotel once the weather cleared. [1] Duyao suggested that the airport install longer lounge chairs for passengers, such as those available at airports in Dubai and Turkey. [1] "I'm very happy that we landed safely, and now I'm happy to have a vacation with my family here in Hong Kong," he said. [1]

Airline Responses and Recovery Plans

Cathay Pacific said that flight services would gradually resume in the late afternoon, after more than 200 flights had been cancelled earlier. [1] Hong Kong Airlines said most of its flights would continue to operate on Sunday, including around 70 flights that had been scheduled from morning to noon. [1] Hong Kong Express also said around 118 of its flights would operate throughout the day, with all services expected to return to normal by Monday morning. [1] Yeung Tat-wing said most services were expected to resume in the afternoon with full normalization by Monday. [1]

South Korea Heat Wave Emergency

South Korea can expect high day and nighttime temperatures until early next month, with Monday's temperature projected to reach 39 degrees Celsius in some regions. [2] The Korea Meteorological Administration issued a heat wave emergency warning for several southeastern regions, including Gyeongsan, Pohang, Gyeongju cities and Goryeong and Cheongdo counties of North Gyeongsang Province; Yangsan, Gimhae, Miryang cities and Euiryeong, Haman, Changnyeong, Hapcheon counties of South Gyeongsang Province; and the Daegu metropolis. [2] The heat wave emergency warning is the highest of the new three-tiered system implemented this year, issued when the temperature is expected to reach 38 degrees Celsius or higher after remaining above 35 C for two consecutive days. [2] It is also issued when the apparent temperature is forecast to be at least 38 C. [2] Temperatures in Seoul and Incheon are expected to be as high as 33 C on Monday, with Gwangju and Busan expecting highs of 35 C. [2] The daily high is expected to be between 31 and 37 C for most regions, with the apparent temperature rising to at least 33 C. [2] Similarly high temperatures are expected across the country for the time being, according to the weather authorities. [2] The KMA projected morning temperatures to be between 24 and 26 C, while daytime temperatures are expected to be between 32 to 39 C until Aug. 6. [2] "Tropical nights and the heat wave will continue at least until early next month," the KMA said in its forecast. [2] Tropical nights occur when the overnight low between 6 p.m. and 9 a.m. remains at or above 25 C. [2] The peninsula can expect some rain in Seoul, Incheon, Gyeonggi Province, Gangwon Province, northern North Gyeongsang Province and some parts of North and South Chungcheong Provinces. [2] However, the rainfall will only have a temporary effect on bringing temperatures down, the KMA said. [2] Thunderstorms are expected in some parts of the East Sea and the West Sea until Tuesday, along with heavy fog. [2]

Ongoing Weather Hazards in the US

A severe thunderstorm warning remains in effect for Hanover and Caroline Counties in Virginia. [3] The severe thunderstorm which prompted the warning has moved out of the Louisa area. [3] A Red Flag Warning for Modoc County Except for the Surprise Valley in California will be allowed to expire as winds gradually decrease with rising humidity this evening and overnight. [4] The National Weather Service in Lincoln has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for northeastern Lawrence County in southeastern Illinois until 1045 PM CDT. [5] At 945 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Russellville, or near Vincennes, moving south at 30 mph. [5] The hazard includes 60 mph wind gusts, with expected damage to roofs, siding, and trees. [5] This severe thunderstorm will remain over mainly rural areas of northeastern Lawrence County. [5]

What to watch next: Most flights at Hong Kong International Airport are expected to return to normal by Monday morning while tropical nights and the heat wave in South Korea will continue at least until early next month.