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The powerful storm made landfall on the southern shores of China on Sunday afternoon, following its passage over the provincial island of Hainan. The severe weather led to the evacuation of approximately 350,000 residents, bringing torrential rain and destructive gusts, especially between Guangdong's Wuchuan and Wenchang in Hainan. Boat transport were halted and flights cancelled at Haikou Meilan airport.

Storm Details

Matmo, this year's 21st cyclone of the year, recorded wind speeds of 151km/h and dumped over 50mm of precipitation in a short period in Chongzou and Qinzhou. Urban areas of the region also received high rainfall totals.

Matmo prompted China's top-tier red alert, with disruptions in the city, where commercial activities, transport links and highways were shut. In the special administrative region, 100 flights were affected and 30 cancelled.

Future Projections

As Matmo advances inward towards the provincial area in the neighboring country, it is projected to diminish into a less intense system with 55mph winds but will continue to bring substantial precipitation. Vietnam's northern regions could experience significant rainfall on Monday, raising the risk of flooding and landslides. The system is anticipated to move towards Yunnan region in China, where additional intense rain is probable.

Global Weather Events

At the same time, a hurricane named Priscilla developed off the Pacific shoreline of Mexico on the weekend, initially as a tropical storm. It prompted a storm watch for the southwestern areas from Punta San Telmo to another location on Monday.

In the morning of the next day, Priscilla was about 305 miles from a Mexican cape with sustained winds of 105km/h. It intensified into a severe cyclone in the evening, when wind speeds peaked at 75mph.

Although unlikely to make landfall, Priscilla is expected to generate hazardous swells and strong currents as it moves north-west along the coast towards Baja California Sur. Substantial rain is forecast on the coming day, reaching a considerable volume in specific Mexican states, with local totals at about 20 centimeters. Other regions could receive 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 warning from the India Meteorological Department for Maharashtra. On Sunday, Shakhti was 130 miles southeast of Ras al Hadd, Oman with maximum sustained winds of 103km/h.

The storm, which has moved in a southwestern direction and lost strength, is predicted to recurve towards the east into the Arabian Sea. Turbulent waters are expected to continue along the Gujarat-North Maharashtra coast and intense rain is expected in shoreline areas including Dwarka, Jamnagar and Surat.