Tropical Cyclone Matmo Hit Coastal China Causing Massive Relocations

Typhoon Matmo made landfall on the coastal regions of China on Sunday afternoon, following its passage over the provincial island of Hainan. The intense weather forced the relocation of approximately 350,000 people, bringing torrential rain and damaging winds, especially between Wuchuan in Guangdong and Hainan's Wenchang. Ferry services were halted and air travel disrupted at Haikou Meilan airport.

Typhoon Statistics

The typhoon, the 21st cyclone of the year, recorded wind speeds of 94mph and dumped more than 50mm of rainfall in six hours in Chongzou and Qinzhou. Urban areas of the region also received high rainfall totals.

Matmo prompted China's highest-level emergency warning, with disturbances in Zhanjiang, where commercial activities, transport links and highways were closed. In Hong Kong, numerous air services were affected and 30 cancelled.

Forecast and Movement

As Matmo 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 persist to bring substantial precipitation. Vietnam's northern regions could face 130-150mm on the following day, raising the threat 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, a hurricane named Priscilla formed off Mexico's Pacific coast on the weekend, initially as a storm system. It led to a weather alert for south-western regions 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 continuous gusts of 105km/h. It strengthened into a hurricane in the night, when wind speeds reached at 75mph.

Though not expected to hit the coast, the storm is likely to produce dangerous waves and rip currents as it tracks north-west along the coast towards Baja California Sur. Substantial rain is predicted on Monday, amounting to 100-150mm in Michoacán and western Guerrero, with local totals at about 200mm. Other regions could face 50-100mm.

Elsewhere, Cyclone Shakhti has formed as the initial post-season storm system of 2025 in the a body of water, causing an warning from the national weather agency for Maharashtra. On that day, the cyclone was 209 kilometers southeast of a location in Oman with peak wind speeds of 103km/h.

Shakhti, which has moved in a southwestern direction and weakened, is predicted to recurve towards the east into the Arabian Sea. Turbulent waters are likely to persist along the Gujarat-North Maharashtra coast and intense rain is expected in shoreline areas including specific Indian cities.