Tropical Cyclone Matmo Struck Southern China Bringing Massive Relocations
Typhoon Matmo made landfall on the coastal regions of China on the weekend, following its passage over the island province of Hainan. The severe weather led to the evacuation of around 350,000 residents, delivering torrential rain and destructive gusts, particularly between Guangdong's Wuchuan and Wenchang in Hainan. Boat transport were halted and air travel disrupted at Haikou Meilan airport.
Storm Details
Matmo, this year's 21st typhoon of 2025, recorded wind speeds of 94mph and poured more than 50mm of rainfall in a short period in Chongzou and Qinzhou. The city of the region also experienced significant rain amounts.
The storm triggered China's top-tier emergency warning, with disturbances in the city, where commercial activities, transport links and roads were shut. In Hong Kong, 100 flights were impacted and dozens called off.
Forecast and Movement
As Matmo moves inland towards the provincial area in the neighboring country, it is expected to weaken into a less intense system with 55mph winds but will continue to bring substantial precipitation. Northern Vietnam could face significant rainfall on the following day, raising the threat of flooding and mudslides. The system is anticipated to move towards Yunnan region in China, where further intense rain is probable.
Other Storm Systems
At the same time, Hurricane Priscilla formed off the Pacific shoreline of Mexico on the weekend, initially as a storm system. It led to a weather alert for the southwestern areas from a coastal point to Punta Mita on the start of the week.
In the morning of Sunday, Priscilla was about 491 kilometers from a Mexican cape with continuous gusts of 105km/h. It intensified into a severe cyclone in the evening, when sustained winds peaked at 75mph.
Although unlikely to hit the coast, the storm is likely to produce hazardous swells and strong currents as it moves north-west along the coast towards Baja California Sur. Heavy rainfall is predicted on Monday, amounting to 100-150mm in specific Mexican states, with local totals at about 20 centimeters. Colima and western Jalisco could face moderate to heavy rain.
Elsewhere, Cyclone Shakhti has developed as the initial post-season cyclonic storm of the year in the Arabian Sea, causing an warning from the national weather agency for an Indian state. On Sunday, the cyclone was 130 miles south-east of a location in Oman with maximum sustained winds of 64mph.
The storm, which has moved in a southwestern direction and weakened, is forecast to recurve towards the east into the the sea. Turbulent waters are likely to persist along the Gujarat-North Maharashtra coast and intense rain is expected in shoreline areas including Dwarka, Jamnagar and Surat.
