Typhoon Matmo Struck Southern China Bringing Widespread Evacuations
Typhoon Matmo struck the coast on the southern shores of China on the weekend, shortly after sweeping across the island province of Hainan. The severe weather led to the evacuation of approximately 350,000 residents, delivering torrential rain and destructive gusts, particularly between Wuchuan in Guangdong and Hainan's Wenchang. Ferry services were suspended and flights cancelled at Haikou Meilan airport.
Storm Details
Matmo, the 21st typhoon of 2025, had sustained wind speeds of 151km/h and dumped more than 50mm of rainfall in six hours in Chongzou and Qinzhou. The city of the region also experienced significant rain amounts.
Matmo triggered China's top-tier emergency warning, with disturbances in Zhanjiang, where businesses, transportation systems and roads were closed. In Hong Kong, 100 flights were affected and 30 cancelled.
Forecast and Movement
As the typhoon moves inland towards Cao Bang province in the neighboring country, it is projected to weaken into a tropical depression with 55mph winds but will continue to bring substantial precipitation. Northern Vietnam could face significant rainfall on the following day, raising the threat of flooding and mudslides. The weather pattern is expected to move towards Yunnan region in China, where additional intense rain is probable.
Global Weather Events
Meanwhile, a hurricane named Priscilla formed off the Pacific shoreline of Mexico on Saturday night, first as a tropical storm. It prompted a weather alert for the southwestern areas from Punta San Telmo to another location on the start of the week.
In the early hours of the next day, Priscilla was about 305 miles from Cabo Corrientes with continuous gusts of 105km/h. It intensified into a hurricane in the night, when wind speeds reached at 121km/h.
Although unlikely to hit the coast, the storm is likely to generate dangerous waves and rip currents as it moves northwestward along the coast towards a Mexican state. Heavy rainfall is predicted on the coming day, amounting to 100-150mm in specific Mexican states, with local totals at about 20 centimeters. Other regions could receive moderate to heavy rain.
Elsewhere, a cyclone named Shakhti has formed as the first post-monsoon storm system of 2025 in the Arabian Sea, causing an alert from the India Meteorological Department for Maharashtra. On Sunday, Shakhti was 130 miles south-east of Ras al Hadd, Oman with peak wind speeds of 103km/h.
The storm, which has tracked south-westward and weakened, is predicted to turn eastward into the Arabian Sea. Rough seas are likely to persist along the Gujarat-North Maharashtra coast and heavy rainfall is anticipated in shoreline areas including Dwarka, Jamnagar and Surat.
