Tropical Cyclone Matmo Hit Coastal China Bringing Widespread Relocations
Typhoon Matmo made landfall on the southern shores of China on Sunday afternoon, shortly after sweeping across the island province of Hainan. The intense weather forced the evacuation of around 350,000 people, bringing heavy downpours and damaging winds, especially between Wuchuan in Guangdong and Wenchang in Hainan. Ferry services were halted and flights cancelled at Haikou Meilan airport.
Storm Details
Matmo, the 21st cyclone of 2025, recorded wind speeds of 94mph and poured more than 50mm of rainfall in a short period in Qinzhou and Chongzou. Urban areas of Nanning also received significant rain amounts.
The storm triggered China's highest-level emergency warning, with disruptions in Zhanjiang, where businesses, transport links and roads were shut. In Hong Kong, numerous air services were affected and 30 cancelled.
Forecast and Movement
As Matmo moves inland towards Cao Bang province in Vietnam, it is projected to weaken into a tropical depression with 89km/h winds but will continue to bring substantial precipitation. Northern Vietnam could experience significant rainfall on the following day, increasing the risk of flooding and landslides. The weather pattern is expected to move towards Yunnan region in China, where additional heavy rainfall is likely.
Other Storm Systems
At the same time, Hurricane Priscilla developed off the Pacific shoreline of Mexico on Saturday night, first as a tropical storm. It led to a storm watch for south-western regions from a coastal point to another location on the start of the week.
In the morning of the next day, the hurricane was about 305 miles from a Mexican cape with sustained winds of 105km/h. It strengthened into a hurricane in the evening, when wind speeds reached at 75mph.
Although unlikely to make landfall, the storm is expected to generate hazardous swells and strong currents as it tracks northwestward along the coast towards Baja California Sur. Heavy rainfall is predicted on the coming day, reaching a considerable volume in specific Mexican states, with some areas at about 200mm. Colima and western Jalisco could receive 50-100mm.
In other parts, a cyclone named Shakhti has formed as the initial post-season storm system of the year in the a body of water, causing an alert from the national weather agency for an Indian state. On Sunday, the cyclone was 130 miles south-east of a location in Oman with peak wind speeds of 64mph.
The storm, which has tracked in a southwestern direction and weakened, is forecast to turn towards the east into the Arabian Sea. Rough seas are likely to continue along the Gujarat-North Maharashtra coast and intense rain is expected in shoreline areas including specific Indian cities.
