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Typhoon Matmo made landfall on the southern shores of China on the weekend, shortly after passage over the provincial island of Hainan. The intense weather forced the evacuation of around 350,000 people, bringing torrential rain and damaging winds, especially between Wuchuan in Guangdong and Hainan's Wenchang. Ferry services were suspended and air travel disrupted at the airport in Haikou.

Typhoon Statistics

Matmo, the 21st cyclone of the year, had sustained wind speeds of 151km/h and dumped more than 50mm of precipitation in a short period in Qinzhou and Chongzou. The city of the region also experienced significant rain amounts.

The storm triggered China's highest-level emergency warning, with disturbances in the city, where businesses, transport links and highways were closed. In Hong Kong, numerous air services were impacted and 30 cancelled.

Forecast and Movement

As Matmo moves inland towards Cao Bang province in the neighboring country, it is projected to diminish into a tropical depression with 55mph winds but will continue to bring heavy rainfall. Northern Vietnam could experience significant rainfall on Monday, raising the threat of flooding and landslides. The weather pattern is anticipated to move towards Yunnan province in China, where additional intense rain is likely.

Global Weather Events

At the same time, a hurricane named Priscilla formed off the Pacific shoreline of Mexico on Saturday night, initially as a storm system. It led to a weather alert for the southwestern areas from Punta San Telmo to another location on Monday.

In the early hours of Sunday, Priscilla was about 305 miles from a Mexican cape with sustained winds of 65mph. It strengthened into a hurricane in the night, when wind speeds peaked at 121km/h.

Although unlikely to hit the coast, the storm is expected to generate dangerous waves and rip currents as it moves northwestward along the coast towards a Mexican state. Heavy rainfall is forecast on Monday, reaching 100-150mm in specific Mexican states, with local totals at about 20 centimeters. Other regions could face 50-100mm.

In other parts, Cyclone Shakhti has developed as the first post-monsoon storm system of the year in the Arabian Sea, causing an warning from the India Meteorological Department for an Indian state. On Sunday, Shakhti was 209 kilometers south-east of a location in Oman with peak wind speeds of 103km/h.

Shakhti, which has moved in a southwestern direction and weakened, is forecast to recurve towards the east into the the sea. Rough seas are likely to persist along the Gujarat-North Maharashtra coast and intense rain is expected in shoreline areas including Dwarka, Jamnagar and Surat.