Typhoon Matmo Slammed Coastal China Causing Widespread Relocations
The powerful storm made landfall on the coastal regions of China on Sunday afternoon, shortly after passage over the island province of Hainan. The intense weather forced the evacuation of around 350,000 residents, bringing torrential rain and destructive gusts, especially between Guangdong's Wuchuan and Hainan's Wenchang. Ferry services were suspended and air travel disrupted at Haikou Meilan airport.
Storm Details
Matmo, this year's 21st typhoon of 2025, recorded wind speeds of 94mph and poured more than 50mm of rainfall in six hours in Qinzhou and Chongzou. The city of Nanning also experienced high rainfall totals.
The storm triggered China's top-tier red alert, with disturbances in Zhanjiang, where businesses, transportation systems and roads were closed. In Hong Kong, 100 flights were impacted and 30 cancelled.
Future Projections
As the typhoon moves inland towards Cao Bang province in Vietnam, it is expected to diminish into a tropical depression with 55mph winds but will persist to bring substantial precipitation. Vietnam's northern regions could experience significant rainfall on Monday, raising the risk of flooding and mudslides. The weather pattern is anticipated to move towards Yunnan region in China, where further heavy rainfall is likely.
Other Storm Systems
Meanwhile, a hurricane named Priscilla formed off the Pacific shoreline of Mexico on Saturday night, first as a tropical storm. It led to a storm watch for the southwestern areas from Punta San Telmo to another location on the start of the week.
In the early hours of Sunday, the hurricane was about 491 kilometers from a Mexican cape with sustained winds of 105km/h. It strengthened into a severe cyclone in the evening, when sustained winds reached at 75mph.
Although unlikely to hit the coast, the storm is likely to produce hazardous swells and rip currents as it tracks north-west 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. Colima and western Jalisco could receive moderate to heavy rain.
Elsewhere, a cyclone named Shakhti has developed as the initial post-season 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, the cyclone was 209 kilometers south-east of a location in Oman with maximum sustained winds of 103km/h.
The storm, which has moved in a southwestern direction and weakened, is forecast to recurve towards the east into the the sea. Turbulent waters are likely to persist along the Gujarat-North Maharashtra coast and intense rain is expected in coastal districts including specific Indian cities.
