Typhoon Matmo Struck Southern China Causing Massive Relocations
The powerful storm made landfall on the southern shores of China on Sunday afternoon, shortly after passage over the provincial island of Hainan. The severe weather led to the relocation of approximately 350,000 residents, delivering heavy downpours and damaging winds, especially between Guangdong's Wuchuan and Wenchang in Hainan. Boat transport were halted and flights cancelled at the airport in Haikou.
Typhoon Statistics
Matmo, this year's 21st typhoon of 2025, had sustained wind speeds of 94mph and dumped more than 50mm of precipitation in six hours in Qinzhou and Chongzou. The city of Nanning also received high rainfall totals.
The storm triggered China's top-tier emergency warning, with disruptions in the city, where businesses, transportation systems and roads were shut. In the special administrative region, numerous air services were impacted and 30 cancelled.
Forecast and Movement
As the typhoon advances inward towards Cao Bang province in Vietnam, it is projected to diminish into a tropical depression with 55mph winds but will persist to bring substantial precipitation. Northern Vietnam could face 130-150mm on the following day, increasing the threat of flooding and landslides. The weather pattern is anticipated to move towards Yunnan province in China, where further heavy rainfall is likely.
Global Weather Events
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 weather alert for south-western regions from Punta San Telmo to Punta Mita on the start of the week.
In the early hours of the next day, Priscilla was about 305 miles from a Mexican cape with continuous gusts of 105km/h. It intensified into a severe cyclone in the night, when wind speeds reached at 75mph.
Although unlikely to hit the coast, the storm is expected to produce dangerous waves and strong currents as it moves northwestward along the coast towards Baja California Sur. Substantial rain is forecast on Monday, amounting to a considerable volume in specific Mexican states, with some areas at about 20 centimeters. Other regions could receive moderate to heavy rain.
Elsewhere, a cyclone named Shakhti has formed as the initial post-season cyclonic storm of 2025 in the a body of water, causing an alert from the India Meteorological Department for an Indian state. 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 south-westward and weakened, is forecast to recurve eastward into the the sea. Turbulent waters are expected to persist along the Gujarat-North Maharashtra coast and intense rain is expected in coastal districts including specific Indian cities.