Typhoon Matmo made landfall on the southern coast of China on Sunday afternoon, shortly after sweeping across the island province of Hainan. The powerful storm forced the evacuation of about 350,000 people, bringing torrential rain and damaging winds, especially between Wuchuan in Guangdong and Wenchang in Hainan. Ferry services were suspended and flights cancelled at Haikou Meilan airport.
Matmo, the 21st typhoon of the year, had sustained wind speeds of 94mph (151km/h) and dumped more than 50mm of rainfall in six hours in Chongzou and Qinzhou. The city of Nanning also had high rainfall totals.
The storm prompted China’s highest-level red alert, with disruptions in Zhanjiang, where businesses, transport links and roads were shut. In Hong Kong, 100 flights were affected and 30 cancelled.
As Matmo moves inland towards Cao Bang province in Vietnam, it is expected to weaken into a tropical depression with 55mph winds but will continue to bring heavy rainfall. Northern Vietnam could face 130-150mm on Monday, raising the risk of flooding and landslides. The system is expected to move towards Yunnan province in China, where further heavy rainfall is likely.
Meanwhile, Hurricane Priscilla formed off Mexico’s Pacific coast on Saturday night, initially as a tropical storm. It prompted a storm watch for south-western regions from Punta San Telmo to Punta Mita on Monday.
In the early hours of Sunday, Priscilla was about 305 miles from Cabo Corrientes with sustained winds of 65mph. It intensified into a hurricane in the evening, when sustained winds peaked at 75mph.
Though not expected to make landfall, Priscilla is likely to generate hazardous swells and rip currents as it tracks north-west along the coast towards Baja California Sur. Heavy rainfall is forecast on Monday, reaching 100-150mm in Michoacán and western Guerrero, with local totals at about 200mm. Colima and western Jalisco could face 50-100mm.
Elsewhere, Cyclone 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 Sunday, Shakhti was 130 miles south-east of Ras al Hadd, Oman, with maximum sustained winds of 64mph.
The storm, which has tracked south-westward and weakened, is forecast to recurve eastward into the Arabian Sea. Rough seas are likely to persist along the Gujarat-North Maharashtra coast and heavy rainfall is expected in coastal districts including Dwarka, Jamnagar and Surat.
