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Typhoon Matmo made landfall on the coastal regions of China on Sunday afternoon, shortly after passage over the provincial island of Hainan. The intense weather led to the evacuation of around 350,000 residents, bringing torrential rain and damaging winds, particularly between Wuchuan in Guangdong and Hainan's Wenchang. Boat transport were halted and air travel disrupted at the airport in Haikou.

Typhoon Statistics

The typhoon, this year's 21st typhoon of the year, had sustained wind speeds of 151km/h and poured more than 50mm of precipitation in a short period in Qinzhou and Chongzou. The city of the region also received high rainfall totals.

Matmo prompted China's top-tier emergency warning, with disturbances in the city, where commercial activities, transportation systems and roads were closed. In Hong Kong, numerous air services were affected and dozens called off.

Future Projections

As Matmo advances inward towards the provincial area in Vietnam, it is expected to weaken into a tropical depression with 55mph winds but will continue to bring substantial precipitation. Northern Vietnam could face 130-150mm on Monday, increasing the risk of flooding and landslides. The weather pattern is expected to move towards Yunnan province in China, where additional intense rain is probable.

Other Storm Systems

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 storm watch for the southwestern areas from a coastal point to Punta Mita on the start of the week.

In the morning of the next day, the hurricane was about 491 kilometers from a Mexican cape with continuous gusts of 65mph. It strengthened into a severe cyclone in the night, when wind speeds peaked at 121km/h.

Although unlikely to make landfall, the storm is likely to produce dangerous waves and rip currents as it moves northwestward along the coast towards a Mexican state. Heavy rainfall is forecast on Monday, amounting to a considerable volume in Michoacán and western Guerrero, with local totals at about 200mm. Other regions could face moderate to heavy rain.

Elsewhere, Cyclone Shakhti has formed as the first post-monsoon 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 Ras al Hadd, Oman with peak wind speeds of 64mph.

Shakhti, which has tracked south-westward and lost strength, is forecast to turn eastward into the Arabian Sea. Turbulent waters are expected to continue along the coastal stretch and intense rain is anticipated in shoreline areas including specific Indian cities.