Tropical Cyclone Matmo Slammed Coastal China Bringing Widespread Evacuations
Typhoon Matmo made landfall on the southern shores of China on Sunday afternoon, following its passage over the provincial island of Hainan. The intense weather forced the relocation of around 350,000 residents, delivering torrential rain and destructive gusts, especially between Wuchuan in Guangdong and Hainan's Wenchang. Ferry services were suspended and air travel disrupted at Haikou Meilan airport.
Typhoon Statistics
The typhoon, this year's 21st cyclone of 2025, recorded wind speeds of 151km/h and dumped over 50mm of precipitation in a short period in Qinzhou and Chongzou. Urban areas of Nanning also experienced high rainfall totals.
Matmo prompted China's top-tier red alert, with disturbances in the city, where businesses, transportation systems and roads were shut. In the special administrative region, 100 flights were impacted and dozens called off.
Forecast and Movement
As the typhoon advances inward towards the provincial area in the neighboring country, it is expected to weaken into a less intense system with 55mph winds but will persist to bring substantial precipitation. Northern Vietnam could experience 130-150mm on the following day, raising the threat of inundation and landslides. The system is expected to move towards Yunnan region in China, where additional intense rain is probable.
Global Weather Events
At the same time, a hurricane named Priscilla developed off Mexico's Pacific coast on the weekend, first as a tropical storm. It prompted a weather alert for the southwestern areas from a coastal point to another location on the start of the week.
In the early hours of Sunday, Priscilla was about 305 miles from a Mexican cape with continuous gusts of 65mph. It intensified into a hurricane in the evening, when sustained winds reached at 75mph.
Though not expected to make landfall, Priscilla is likely to produce hazardous swells and strong currents as it moves north-west along the coast towards a Mexican state. Heavy rainfall is predicted on Monday, reaching 100-150mm in Michoacán and western Guerrero, with some areas at about 20 centimeters. Colima and western Jalisco could face moderate to heavy rain.
In other parts, a cyclone named Shakhti has developed as the first post-monsoon storm system of the year in the Arabian Sea, causing an warning from the national weather agency for Maharashtra. On that day, Shakhti was 209 kilometers south-east of Ras al Hadd, Oman with peak wind speeds of 64mph.
The storm, which has tracked in a southwestern direction and lost strength, is forecast to recurve eastward into the Arabian Sea. Rough seas are expected to persist along the Gujarat-North Maharashtra coast and heavy rainfall is anticipated in shoreline areas including specific Indian cities.