Tropical Cyclone Matmo Hit Southern China Causing Widespread Evacuations

Typhoon Matmo struck the coast on the southern shores of China on the weekend, following its sweeping across the island province of Hainan. The severe weather forced the evacuation of around 350,000 people, bringing torrential rain and destructive gusts, particularly between Guangdong's Wuchuan and Wenchang in Hainan. Boat transport were suspended and flights cancelled at Haikou Meilan airport.

Typhoon Statistics

Matmo, this year's 21st typhoon of the year, had sustained wind speeds of 94mph and dumped more than 50mm of rainfall in six hours in Chongzou and Qinzhou. The city of Nanning also received high rainfall totals.

The storm prompted China's highest-level emergency warning, with disruptions in the city, where commercial activities, transport links and roads were closed. In Hong Kong, 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 expected to weaken into a tropical depression with 89km/h winds but will persist to bring substantial precipitation. Vietnam's northern regions could experience significant rainfall on Monday, increasing the risk of flooding and mudslides. The weather pattern is expected to move towards Yunnan province in China, where further intense rain is likely.

Other Storm Systems

Meanwhile, Hurricane Priscilla formed off Mexico's Pacific coast on the weekend, initially as a tropical storm. It led to a weather alert for south-western regions from a coastal point to another location on Monday.

In the morning of the next day, Priscilla was about 305 miles from Cabo Corrientes 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, Priscilla is likely to produce dangerous waves and strong currents as it moves northwestward along the coast towards a Mexican state. Heavy rainfall is forecast on the coming day, reaching 100-150mm in specific Mexican states, with local totals at about 200mm. Colima and western Jalisco could face 50-100mm.

In other parts, a cyclone named Shakhti has formed as the first post-monsoon storm system of the year in the Arabian Sea, causing an alert from the national weather agency for Maharashtra. On that day, Shakhti was 130 miles south-east of a location in Oman with maximum sustained winds of 103km/h.

The storm, which has tracked south-westward and weakened, is predicted to recurve eastward into the the sea. Rough seas are expected to persist along the coastal stretch and heavy rainfall is anticipated in shoreline areas including specific Indian cities.