Tropical Cyclone Matmo Slammed Southern China Bringing Massive Relocations

The powerful storm struck the coast on the coastal regions of China on Sunday afternoon, shortly after sweeping across the island province of Hainan. The intense 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 air travel disrupted at Haikou Meilan airport.

Storm Details

Matmo, this year's 21st cyclone of 2025, recorded wind speeds of 151km/h and dumped more than 50mm of precipitation in six hours in Qinzhou and Chongzou. The city of the region also experienced high rainfall totals.

Matmo triggered China's highest-level red alert, with disruptions in the city, where businesses, transport links and roads were closed. In Hong Kong, 100 flights were impacted and 30 cancelled.

Forecast and Movement

As Matmo moves inland towards the provincial area in the neighboring country, it is projected to weaken into a tropical depression with 55mph winds but will continue to bring substantial precipitation. Northern Vietnam could experience significant rainfall on Monday, raising the risk of flooding and landslides. The weather pattern is expected to move towards Yunnan region in China, where further intense rain is probable.

Global Weather Events

At the same time, Hurricane Priscilla developed off Mexico's Pacific coast on Saturday night, initially as a tropical storm. It led to a storm watch for the southwestern areas from Punta San Telmo to another location on Monday.

In the early hours of Sunday, the hurricane was about 305 miles from Cabo Corrientes with continuous gusts of 65mph. It strengthened into a hurricane in the night, when sustained winds reached at 121km/h.

Although unlikely to make landfall, Priscilla is expected to produce dangerous waves and rip currents as it tracks north-west along the coast towards a Mexican state. Substantial rain is predicted on the coming day, reaching 100-150mm in specific Mexican states, with local totals at about 20 centimeters. Other regions could face moderate to heavy rain.

Elsewhere, Cyclone Shakhti has developed as the first post-monsoon cyclonic storm of the year in the a body of water, prompting an warning from the India Meteorological Department for an Indian state. On Sunday, the cyclone was 209 kilometers southeast of Ras al Hadd, Oman with maximum sustained winds of 103km/h.

Shakhti, which has tracked south-westward and weakened, is predicted to recurve towards the east into the the sea. Turbulent waters are likely to persist along the Gujarat-North Maharashtra coast and intense rain is expected in shoreline areas including specific Indian cities.