Tropical Cyclone Matmo Slammed Coastal China Causing Widespread Relocations
Typhoon Matmo made landfall on the southern shores of China on the weekend, following its passage over the island province of Hainan. The intense weather forced the evacuation of approximately 350,000 people, delivering heavy downpours and damaging winds, especially between Guangdong's Wuchuan and Hainan's Wenchang. Boat transport were halted and air travel disrupted at Haikou Meilan airport.
Storm Details
Matmo, this year's 21st cyclone of the year, had sustained wind speeds of 151km/h and poured more than 50mm of precipitation in a short period in Qinzhou and Chongzou. Urban areas of Nanning also received significant rain amounts.
Matmo triggered China's top-tier emergency warning, with disturbances in the city, where businesses, transportation systems and highways were shut. In the special administrative region, numerous air services were impacted and dozens called off.
Future Projections
As the typhoon moves inland towards the provincial area in Vietnam, it is expected to weaken into a less intense system with 55mph winds but will persist to bring substantial precipitation. Northern Vietnam could face significant rainfall on the following day, raising the risk of flooding and landslides. The weather pattern is expected to move towards Yunnan region in China, where further heavy rainfall is probable.
Other Storm Systems
Meanwhile, Hurricane Priscilla developed off the Pacific shoreline of Mexico on the weekend, first as a tropical storm. It led to a storm watch for the southwestern areas from Punta San Telmo to Punta Mita on the start of the week.
In the morning of the next day, Priscilla was about 305 miles from Cabo Corrientes with sustained winds of 105km/h. It strengthened into a hurricane in the evening, when wind speeds reached at 121km/h.
Though not expected to hit the coast, the storm is expected to generate dangerous waves and rip currents as it tracks north-west along the coast towards Baja California Sur. Heavy rainfall is predicted on the coming day, reaching 100-150mm in specific Mexican states, with local totals at about 20 centimeters. Other regions could receive moderate to heavy rain.
In other parts, a cyclone named Shakhti has developed as the initial post-season cyclonic storm of 2025 in the a body of water, causing an alert from the India Meteorological Department for Maharashtra. On Sunday, the cyclone was 130 miles southeast of a location in Oman with peak wind speeds of 103km/h.
Shakhti, which has tracked in a southwestern direction and lost strength, is forecast to recurve towards the east into the the sea. Rough seas are likely to continue along the Gujarat-North Maharashtra coast and intense rain is expected in coastal districts including Dwarka, Jamnagar and Surat.