Tropical Cyclone Matmo Slammed Southern China Bringing Widespread Evacuations
Typhoon Matmo made landfall on the coastal regions of China on Sunday afternoon, following its passage over the island province of Hainan. The intense weather led to the evacuation of around 350,000 people, delivering torrential rain and destructive gusts, particularly between Wuchuan in Guangdong and Wenchang in Hainan. Ferry services were halted and flights cancelled at Haikou Meilan airport.
Storm Details
Matmo, this year's 21st typhoon of the year, had sustained wind speeds of 94mph and dumped over 50mm of precipitation in a short period in Chongzou and Qinzhou. The city of Nanning also received significant rain amounts.
Matmo prompted China's highest-level red alert, with disruptions in Zhanjiang, where commercial activities, transportation systems and highways were closed. In the special administrative region, 100 flights were affected and 30 cancelled.
Forecast and Movement
As the typhoon moves inland towards the provincial area in Vietnam, it is expected to weaken into a tropical depression with 55mph winds but will persist to bring substantial precipitation. Vietnam's northern regions could experience 130-150mm on Monday, raising the risk of flooding and landslides. The weather pattern is anticipated to move towards Yunnan province in China, where further intense rain is probable.
Other Storm Systems
Meanwhile, Hurricane Priscilla developed off the Pacific shoreline of Mexico on the weekend, initially as a tropical storm. It led to a weather alert for south-western regions from Punta San Telmo to Punta Mita on the start of the week.
In the early hours of Sunday, the hurricane was about 305 miles from Cabo Corrientes with continuous gusts of 105km/h. It intensified into a hurricane in the night, when wind speeds reached at 75mph.
Although unlikely to hit the coast, the storm is expected to generate dangerous waves and rip currents as it tracks northwestward along the coast towards a Mexican state. Heavy rainfall is forecast on Monday, reaching a considerable volume in Michoacán and western Guerrero, with some areas at about 200mm. Colima and western Jalisco could face 50-100mm.
In other parts, Cyclone Shakhti has developed as the initial post-season cyclonic storm of 2025 in the a body of water, causing an warning from the India Meteorological Department for an Indian state. On that day, the cyclone was 130 miles southeast of Ras al Hadd, Oman with peak wind speeds of 103km/h.
The storm, which has moved south-westward and lost strength, is predicted to turn eastward into the the sea. Turbulent waters are likely to continue along the Gujarat-North Maharashtra coast and intense rain is anticipated in coastal districts including specific Indian cities.