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Typhoon Matmo made landfall on the coastal regions of China on the weekend, following its sweeping across the island province of Hainan. The intense weather forced the relocation of approximately 350,000 residents, delivering heavy downpours and destructive gusts, especially between Guangdong's Wuchuan and Wenchang in Hainan. Boat transport were suspended and flights cancelled at the airport in Haikou.

Storm Details

The typhoon, the 21st typhoon of the year, recorded wind speeds of 94mph and dumped over 50mm of rainfall in a short period in Qinzhou and Chongzou. Urban areas of Nanning also received high rainfall totals.

Matmo triggered China's highest-level emergency warning, with disturbances in Zhanjiang, where businesses, transport links and highways were shut. In the special administrative region, numerous air services were impacted and 30 cancelled.

Forecast and Movement

As Matmo advances inward towards Cao Bang province in Vietnam, it is expected to weaken into a less intense system with 89km/h winds but will persist to bring substantial precipitation. Northern Vietnam could face significant rainfall on Monday, raising the threat of inundation and mudslides. The system is expected to move towards Yunnan province in China, where additional intense rain is likely.

Other Storm Systems

At the same time, a hurricane named Priscilla developed off the Pacific shoreline of Mexico on the weekend, first as a tropical storm. It led to a weather alert for south-western regions from a coastal point to Punta Mita on Monday.

In the early hours of the next day, Priscilla was about 491 kilometers from Cabo Corrientes with continuous gusts of 65mph. It intensified into a hurricane in the night, when sustained winds reached at 121km/h.

Although unlikely to hit the coast, Priscilla is likely to produce hazardous swells and strong currents as it moves northwestward 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 200mm. Other regions could face moderate to heavy rain.

In other parts, Cyclone Shakhti has formed as the first post-monsoon cyclonic storm of the year in the a body of water, prompting an warning from the national weather agency for an Indian state. On Sunday, the cyclone was 130 miles southeast of Ras al Hadd, Oman with peak wind speeds of 64mph.

Shakhti, which has moved in a southwestern direction and weakened, is forecast to turn eastward into the Arabian Sea. Rough seas are expected to continue along the Gujarat-North Maharashtra coast and intense rain is expected in coastal districts including Dwarka, Jamnagar and Surat.