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Typhoon Matmo made landfall on the southern shores of China on Sunday afternoon, shortly after sweeping across the island province of Hainan. The severe weather forced the evacuation of approximately 350,000 residents, bringing heavy downpours and damaging winds, particularly between Wuchuan in Guangdong and Hainan's Wenchang. Boat transport were suspended and air travel disrupted at Haikou Meilan airport.

Storm Details

The typhoon, this year's 21st cyclone of 2025, recorded wind speeds of 94mph and dumped over 50mm of rainfall in six hours in Chongzou and Qinzhou. Urban areas of the region also received high rainfall totals.

The storm prompted China's top-tier emergency warning, with disturbances in Zhanjiang, where commercial activities, transportation systems and highways were closed. In the special administrative region, 100 flights were affected and 30 cancelled.

Forecast and Movement

As Matmo advances inward towards Cao Bang province in the neighboring country, it is expected to diminish into a tropical depression with 89km/h winds but will continue to bring substantial precipitation. Vietnam's northern regions could face significant rainfall on the following day, increasing the risk of flooding and mudslides. The system is anticipated to move towards Yunnan region in China, where additional intense rain is likely.

Global Weather Events

At the same time, a hurricane named Priscilla developed off the Pacific shoreline of Mexico on Saturday night, first as a storm system. It led to a weather alert for south-western regions 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 105km/h. It strengthened into a hurricane in the evening, when wind speeds peaked at 121km/h.

Though not expected to make landfall, the storm is expected to produce dangerous waves and strong currents as it tracks north-west along the coast towards a Mexican state. Substantial rain is predicted on the coming day, amounting to 100-150mm in specific Mexican states, with some areas at about 20 centimeters. Colima and western Jalisco could face moderate to heavy rain.

Elsewhere, Cyclone Shakhti has developed as the initial post-season cyclonic storm of the year in the Arabian Sea, prompting an alert from the India Meteorological Department for Maharashtra. On that day, Shakhti was 130 miles southeast of a location in Oman with maximum sustained winds of 64mph.

Shakhti, which has tracked south-westward and lost strength, is forecast to recurve towards the east into the Arabian Sea. Turbulent waters are expected to persist along the Gujarat-North Maharashtra coast and intense rain is expected in coastal districts including Dwarka, Jamnagar and Surat.