Tropical Cyclone Matmo Hit Southern China Bringing Massive Relocations
Typhoon Matmo made landfall on the southern shores of China on the weekend, following its passage over the provincial island of Hainan. The severe weather led to the relocation of around 350,000 residents, bringing torrential rain and destructive gusts, especially between Guangdong's Wuchuan and Hainan's Wenchang. Boat transport were suspended 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 more than 50mm of precipitation in six hours in Chongzou and Qinzhou. The city of Nanning also received high rainfall totals.
Matmo triggered China's highest-level red alert, with disruptions in the city, where businesses, transport links and roads were closed. In Hong Kong, 100 flights were affected and 30 cancelled.
Forecast and Movement
As Matmo moves inland towards Cao Bang province in Vietnam, it is expected to weaken into a tropical depression with 55mph winds but will persist to bring substantial precipitation. Northern Vietnam could experience significant rainfall on Monday, increasing the threat of inundation and mudslides. The weather pattern is anticipated to move towards Yunnan region in China, where further heavy rainfall is probable.
Other Storm Systems
At the same time, Hurricane Priscilla formed off the Pacific shoreline of Mexico on Saturday night, initially as a tropical storm. It prompted a weather alert for south-western regions from Punta San Telmo to another location on Monday.
In the morning of Sunday, Priscilla was about 305 miles from Cabo Corrientes with continuous gusts of 105km/h. It strengthened into a hurricane in the evening, when sustained winds peaked at 121km/h.
Although unlikely to make landfall, the storm is expected to generate hazardous swells and strong currents as it moves northwestward along the coast towards Baja California Sur. Heavy rainfall is predicted on Monday, amounting to 100-150mm in Michoacán and western Guerrero, with local totals at about 200mm. Other regions could receive 50-100mm.
Elsewhere, a cyclone named Shakhti has formed as the initial post-season storm system of 2025 in the Arabian Sea, prompting an alert from the India Meteorological Department for an Indian state. On that day, the cyclone was 209 kilometers south-east of a location in Oman with peak wind speeds of 103km/h.
Shakhti, which has moved in a southwestern direction and weakened, is forecast to turn eastward into the Arabian Sea. Turbulent waters are likely to continue along the Gujarat-North Maharashtra coast and intense rain is expected in shoreline areas including Dwarka, Jamnagar and Surat.
