Typhoon Matmo Hit Southern China Causing Massive Relocations
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 relocation of approximately 350,000 people, bringing heavy downpours and destructive gusts, especially between Wuchuan in Guangdong and Wenchang in Hainan. Boat transport were halted and air travel disrupted at the airport in Haikou.
Storm Details
The typhoon, the 21st typhoon of the year, recorded wind speeds of 94mph and dumped over 50mm of precipitation in six hours in Chongzou and Qinzhou. Urban areas of Nanning also received high rainfall totals.
Matmo prompted China's top-tier emergency warning, with disturbances in the city, where commercial activities, transport links and roads were closed. In the special administrative region, 100 flights were affected and 30 cancelled.
Forecast and Movement
As the typhoon moves inland towards Cao Bang province in the neighboring country, it is expected to weaken into a less intense system with 55mph winds but will continue to bring heavy rainfall. Northern Vietnam could experience 130-150mm on the following day, increasing the risk of inundation and mudslides. The weather pattern is expected to move towards Yunnan region in China, where additional heavy rainfall is probable.
Other Storm Systems
Meanwhile, a hurricane named Priscilla developed off the Pacific shoreline of Mexico on the weekend, first as a storm system. It prompted a weather alert for the southwestern areas from Punta San Telmo to another location on Monday.
In the morning of the next day, the hurricane was about 305 miles from a Mexican cape with sustained winds of 65mph. It strengthened into a severe cyclone in the night, when sustained winds peaked at 121km/h.
Although unlikely to hit the coast, the storm is likely to generate dangerous waves and rip currents as it tracks northwestward along the coast towards a Mexican state. Heavy rainfall is predicted on the coming day, amounting to a considerable volume in Michoacán and western Guerrero, with local totals at about 20 centimeters. Other regions could face 50-100mm.
Elsewhere, a cyclone named Shakhti has developed as the first post-monsoon storm system of 2025 in the Arabian Sea, prompting an alert from the national weather agency for Maharashtra. On that day, Shakhti was 130 miles southeast of a location in Oman with maximum sustained winds of 103km/h.
The storm, which has tracked in a southwestern direction and weakened, is forecast to turn towards the east into the the sea. Turbulent waters are expected to persist along the Gujarat-North Maharashtra coast and intense rain is anticipated in coastal districts including Dwarka, Jamnagar and Surat.