Tropical Cyclone Matmo Struck Southern China Bringing Widespread Relocations
The powerful storm struck the coast on the southern shores of China on the weekend, shortly after passage over the island province of Hainan. The severe weather forced the relocation of approximately 350,000 people, delivering heavy downpours and damaging winds, particularly between Guangdong's Wuchuan and Hainan's Wenchang. Boat transport were halted and flights cancelled at the airport in Haikou.
Typhoon Statistics
The typhoon, the 21st cyclone of 2025, had sustained wind speeds of 151km/h and poured over 50mm of precipitation in six hours in Chongzou and Qinzhou. The city of Nanning also received significant rain amounts.
Matmo prompted China's highest-level emergency warning, with disturbances in Zhanjiang, where commercial activities, transportation systems and highways were closed. In Hong Kong, numerous air services were impacted and 30 cancelled.
Forecast and Movement
As the typhoon moves inland towards the provincial area in Vietnam, it is expected to weaken into a less intense system with 55mph winds but will persist to bring substantial precipitation. Vietnam's northern regions could face 130-150mm on Monday, raising the threat of inundation and landslides. The weather pattern is expected to move towards Yunnan region in China, where further heavy rainfall is likely.
Other Storm Systems
Meanwhile, Hurricane Priscilla formed off Mexico's Pacific coast on Saturday night, first as a tropical storm. It prompted a weather alert for south-western regions from a coastal point to Punta Mita on Monday.
In the early hours of Sunday, Priscilla was about 305 miles from a Mexican cape with continuous gusts of 105km/h. It strengthened into a hurricane in the evening, when sustained winds reached at 75mph.
Though not expected to hit the coast, Priscilla is likely to produce dangerous waves and rip currents as it tracks northwestward along the coast towards Baja California Sur. Substantial rain is predicted on Monday, amounting to a considerable volume in Michoacán and western Guerrero, with local totals at about 200mm. Other regions could receive moderate to heavy rain.
In other parts, a cyclone named Shakhti has developed as the first post-monsoon cyclonic storm of 2025 in the Arabian Sea, prompting an alert from the India Meteorological Department for Maharashtra. On that day, Shakhti was 209 kilometers south-east of a location in Oman with peak wind speeds of 103km/h.
Shakhti, which has moved in a southwestern direction and weakened, is forecast to turn eastward into the the sea. Rough seas are likely to continue along the coastal stretch and heavy rainfall is anticipated in shoreline areas including specific Indian cities.
