Tropical Cyclone Matmo Slammed Southern China Bringing Massive Relocations
The powerful storm made landfall on the coastal regions of China on Sunday afternoon, shortly after passage over the provincial island of Hainan. The severe weather forced the evacuation of approximately 350,000 residents, delivering heavy downpours and destructive gusts, particularly between Guangdong's Wuchuan and Hainan's Wenchang. Ferry services were suspended and flights cancelled at the airport in Haikou.
Storm Details
The typhoon, this year's 21st cyclone of 2025, had sustained wind speeds of 94mph and poured more than 50mm of precipitation in six hours in Qinzhou and Chongzou. Urban areas of Nanning also experienced significant rain amounts.
Matmo prompted China's highest-level emergency warning, with disruptions in the city, where commercial activities, transportation systems and highways were shut. In Hong Kong, numerous air services were affected and 30 cancelled.
Forecast and Movement
As the typhoon advances inward towards Cao Bang province in the neighboring country, it is projected to diminish into a less intense system with 55mph winds but will continue to bring substantial precipitation. Northern Vietnam could face significant rainfall on Monday, increasing the threat of inundation and landslides. The system is expected to move towards Yunnan region in China, where additional intense rain is likely.
Other Storm Systems
At the same time, Hurricane Priscilla developed off the Pacific shoreline of Mexico on the weekend, initially as a tropical storm. It led to a weather alert for south-western regions from Punta San Telmo to another location on the start of the week.
In the early hours of Sunday, the hurricane was about 305 miles from a Mexican cape with continuous gusts of 65mph. It strengthened into a hurricane in the evening, when sustained winds peaked at 121km/h.
Although unlikely to hit the coast, the storm is likely to generate hazardous swells and rip currents as it moves north-west along the coast towards a Mexican state. Heavy rainfall is predicted on Monday, amounting to a considerable volume in specific Mexican states, with local totals at about 200mm. Colima and western Jalisco could receive 50-100mm.
In other parts, Cyclone Shakhti has developed as the first post-monsoon cyclonic storm of 2025 in the a body of water, causing an warning from the national weather agency for Maharashtra. On Sunday, the cyclone was 130 miles southeast of a location in Oman with peak wind speeds of 103km/h.
The storm, which has tracked south-westward and weakened, is predicted to turn towards the east into the Arabian Sea. Turbulent waters are likely to continue along the Gujarat-North Maharashtra coast and intense rain is anticipated in coastal districts including Dwarka, Jamnagar and Surat.