Tropical Cyclone Matmo Slammed Southern China Bringing Widespread Relocations
The powerful storm struck the coast on the southern shores of China on Sunday afternoon, shortly after passage over the island province of Hainan. The intense weather forced the relocation of approximately 350,000 people, delivering torrential rain and destructive gusts, especially between Wuchuan in Guangdong and Wenchang in Hainan. Boat transport were halted and flights cancelled at the airport in Haikou.
Storm Details
The typhoon, this year's 21st cyclone of 2025, recorded wind speeds of 151km/h and poured over 50mm of precipitation in a short period in Qinzhou and Chongzou. Urban areas of Nanning also received high rainfall totals.
Matmo prompted China's top-tier red alert, with disturbances in Zhanjiang, where commercial activities, transportation systems and highways were shut. In the special administrative region, 100 flights were impacted and 30 cancelled.
Forecast and Movement
As the typhoon advances inward towards the provincial area in the neighboring country, it is projected to weaken into a tropical depression with 89km/h winds but will persist to bring substantial precipitation. Vietnam's northern regions could face significant rainfall on the following day, raising the risk of flooding and mudslides. The weather pattern is expected to move towards Yunnan region in China, where additional intense rain is likely.
Other Storm Systems
At the same time, a hurricane named Priscilla developed off Mexico's Pacific coast on Saturday night, initially as a tropical storm. It led to a weather alert for the southwestern areas from a coastal point to Punta Mita on the start of the week.
In the early hours of Sunday, Priscilla was about 305 miles from a Mexican cape with sustained winds of 65mph. It intensified into a hurricane in the evening, when wind speeds peaked at 121km/h.
Although unlikely to make landfall, the storm is expected to produce hazardous swells and strong currents as it tracks northwestward along the coast towards a Mexican state. Heavy rainfall is predicted on Monday, reaching a considerable volume in specific Mexican states, with local totals at about 20 centimeters. Colima and western Jalisco could face moderate to heavy rain.
Elsewhere, Cyclone Shakhti has formed as the initial post-season cyclonic storm of the year in the Arabian Sea, causing an alert from the India Meteorological Department for Maharashtra. On that day, Shakhti was 209 kilometers south-east of a location in Oman with maximum sustained winds of 103km/h.
Shakhti, which has moved south-westward and weakened, is forecast to recurve towards the east into the Arabian Sea. Turbulent waters are likely to persist along the coastal stretch and heavy rainfall is anticipated in coastal districts including Dwarka, Jamnagar and Surat.
