Typhoon Matmo Struck Southern China Bringing Widespread Evacuations
Typhoon Matmo made landfall on the southern shores of China on Sunday afternoon, shortly after passage over the provincial island of Hainan. The severe weather forced the relocation of around 350,000 residents, delivering torrential rain and damaging winds, particularly between Guangdong's Wuchuan and Hainan's Wenchang. Boat transport were halted and air travel disrupted at the airport in Haikou.
Storm Details
Matmo, this year's 21st typhoon of the year, had sustained wind speeds of 94mph and poured over 50mm of rainfall in six hours in Chongzou and Qinzhou. Urban areas of the region also received significant rain amounts.
Matmo triggered China's top-tier emergency warning, with disruptions in the city, where commercial activities, transportation systems and highways were shut. In the special administrative region, 100 flights were affected and dozens called off.
Forecast and Movement
As the typhoon moves inland towards Cao Bang province in the neighboring country, it is projected to diminish into a less intense system with 89km/h winds but will continue to bring heavy rainfall. Northern Vietnam could face 130-150mm on Monday, raising the risk of flooding and landslides. The system is expected to move towards Yunnan province in China, where further intense rain is likely.
Global Weather Events
At the same time, Hurricane Priscilla developed off the Pacific shoreline of Mexico on Saturday night, first as a storm system. It led to a storm watch for the southwestern areas from Punta San Telmo to another location on Monday.
In the morning of the next day, Priscilla was about 305 miles from Cabo Corrientes with sustained winds of 65mph. It strengthened into a severe cyclone in the night, when wind speeds reached at 121km/h.
Though not expected to make landfall, the storm is expected to generate dangerous waves and rip currents as it tracks northwestward along the coast towards Baja California Sur. Substantial rain is predicted on the coming day, reaching a considerable volume in Michoacán and western Guerrero, with some areas at about 20 centimeters. Other regions could face moderate to heavy rain.
Elsewhere, Cyclone Shakhti has formed as the first post-monsoon cyclonic storm of 2025 in the Arabian Sea, prompting an alert from the national weather agency for Maharashtra. On that day, Shakhti was 209 kilometers southeast of a location in Oman with maximum sustained winds of 103km/h.
Shakhti, which has moved south-westward and weakened, is predicted to recurve towards the east into the Arabian Sea. Turbulent waters are likely to continue along the Gujarat-North Maharashtra coast and heavy rainfall is anticipated in coastal districts including Dwarka, Jamnagar and Surat.