Tropical Cyclone Matmo Hit Southern China Bringing Widespread Evacuations
Typhoon Matmo made landfall on the coastal regions of China on the weekend, shortly after sweeping across the provincial island of Hainan. The severe weather forced the evacuation of approximately 350,000 people, delivering torrential rain and destructive gusts, especially between Guangdong's Wuchuan and Hainan's Wenchang. Ferry services were halted and flights cancelled at Haikou Meilan airport.
Storm Details
The typhoon, the 21st cyclone of the year, had sustained wind speeds of 94mph and dumped over 50mm of precipitation in a short period in Qinzhou and Chongzou. The city of Nanning also received significant rain amounts.
Matmo prompted China's top-tier red alert, with disruptions in the city, where businesses, transport links and roads were closed. In Hong Kong, 100 flights were impacted and dozens called off.
Future Projections
As the typhoon advances inward towards the provincial area in the neighboring country, it is projected to diminish into a tropical depression with 55mph winds but will continue to bring substantial precipitation. Northern Vietnam could experience significant rainfall on the following day, raising the risk of flooding and landslides. The system is expected to move towards Yunnan province in China, where additional intense rain is likely.
Global Weather Events
Meanwhile, Hurricane Priscilla formed off the Pacific shoreline of Mexico on Saturday night, initially as a storm system. It led to a weather alert for the southwestern areas from a coastal point to Punta Mita on Monday.
In the morning of the next day, the hurricane was about 491 kilometers from Cabo Corrientes with continuous gusts of 65mph. It strengthened into a hurricane in the night, when sustained winds peaked at 75mph.
Although unlikely to make landfall, the storm is likely to generate dangerous waves and strong currents as it moves north-west along the coast towards a Mexican state. Substantial rain is forecast on the coming day, reaching 100-150mm in specific Mexican states, with some areas at about 20 centimeters. Colima and western Jalisco could receive 50-100mm.
Elsewhere, Cyclone Shakhti has developed as the first post-monsoon storm system of 2025 in the a body of water, prompting an alert from the national weather agency for an Indian state. 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 south-westward and weakened, is predicted to recurve towards the east into the Arabian Sea. Turbulent waters are likely to continue along the coastal stretch and intense rain is anticipated in shoreline areas including Dwarka, Jamnagar and Surat.
