Tropical Cyclone Matmo Hit Coastal China Causing Widespread Evacuations
The powerful storm made landfall on the southern shores of China on the weekend, following its sweeping across the island province of Hainan. The intense weather forced the relocation of approximately 350,000 residents, delivering heavy downpours and damaging winds, especially between Wuchuan in Guangdong and Wenchang in Hainan. Ferry services were halted and air travel disrupted at Haikou Meilan airport.
Storm Details
Matmo, the 21st cyclone of the year, had sustained wind speeds of 151km/h and poured more than 50mm of rainfall in six hours in Chongzou and Qinzhou. The city of the region also received high rainfall totals.
The storm prompted China's top-tier red alert, with disturbances in Zhanjiang, where commercial activities, transport links and highways were closed. In Hong Kong, numerous air services were impacted and dozens called off.
Future Projections
As Matmo advances inward towards Cao Bang province in Vietnam, it is expected to diminish into a tropical depression with 55mph winds but will persist to bring heavy rainfall. Northern Vietnam could face significant rainfall on the following day, raising the risk of flooding and mudslides. The weather pattern is anticipated to move towards Yunnan region in China, where additional intense rain is likely.
Other Storm Systems
At the same time, Hurricane Priscilla formed off the Pacific shoreline of Mexico on the weekend, initially as a tropical storm. It led to a storm watch for the southwestern areas from Punta San Telmo to another location on the start of the week.
In the morning of the next day, the hurricane was about 491 kilometers from Cabo Corrientes with continuous gusts of 65mph. It strengthened into a hurricane in the night, when wind speeds peaked at 75mph.
Though not expected to make landfall, the storm is expected to produce hazardous swells and strong currents as it tracks north-west along the coast towards Baja California Sur. Heavy rainfall is predicted on Monday, amounting to 100-150mm in specific Mexican states, with some areas at about 20 centimeters. Colima and western Jalisco could receive moderate to heavy rain.
Elsewhere, Cyclone Shakhti has formed as the first post-monsoon cyclonic storm of 2025 in the Arabian Sea, prompting an alert from the India Meteorological Department for an Indian state. On that day, Shakhti was 130 miles southeast of Ras al Hadd, Oman with maximum sustained winds of 64mph.
Shakhti, which has moved in a southwestern direction and weakened, is predicted to recurve towards the east into the Arabian Sea. Turbulent waters are expected to continue along the Gujarat-North Maharashtra coast and intense rain is anticipated in coastal districts including Dwarka, Jamnagar and Surat.
