Tropical Cyclone Matmo Struck Coastal China Causing Massive Relocations
Typhoon Matmo struck the coast on the southern shores of China on the weekend, shortly after passage over the provincial island of Hainan. The intense weather forced the evacuation of around 350,000 people, delivering heavy downpours and destructive gusts, especially between Guangdong's Wuchuan and Wenchang in Hainan. Boat transport were halted and flights cancelled at the airport in Haikou.
Typhoon Statistics
Matmo, the 21st cyclone of the year, had sustained wind speeds of 94mph and dumped over 50mm of rainfall in six hours in Chongzou and Qinzhou. The city of Nanning also received high rainfall totals.
The storm prompted China's highest-level red alert, with disruptions in the city, where commercial activities, transportation systems and highways were closed. In the special administrative region, 100 flights were affected and dozens called off.
Future Projections
As the typhoon advances inward towards Cao Bang province in the neighboring country, it is projected to weaken into a less intense system with 55mph winds but will persist to bring substantial precipitation. Vietnam's northern regions could face significant rainfall on the following day, raising the risk of inundation 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, initially as a storm system. It led to a storm watch for south-western regions from a coastal point to Punta Mita on the start of the week.
In the morning of Sunday, Priscilla was about 491 kilometers from Cabo Corrientes with continuous gusts of 105km/h. It intensified into a hurricane in the evening, when wind speeds peaked at 75mph.
Though not expected to hit the coast, the storm is likely to generate dangerous waves and strong currents as it moves north-west along the coast towards Baja California Sur. Substantial rain is predicted on the coming day, amounting to a considerable volume in Michoacán and western Guerrero, with local totals at about 200mm. Other regions could receive moderate to heavy rain.
In other parts, Cyclone Shakhti has developed as the first post-monsoon storm system of 2025 in the a body of water, causing an alert from the national weather agency for Maharashtra. On Sunday, the cyclone was 209 kilometers south-east of Ras al Hadd, Oman with maximum sustained winds of 64mph.
The storm, which has tracked south-westward and weakened, is predicted to turn towards the east into the the sea. Turbulent waters are expected to persist along the Gujarat-North Maharashtra coast and intense rain is anticipated in coastal districts including Dwarka, Jamnagar and Surat.
