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Typhoon Matmo struck the coast on the southern shores of China on Sunday afternoon, following its sweeping across the provincial island of Hainan. The severe weather forced the evacuation of around 350,000 residents, delivering heavy downpours and destructive gusts, especially between Wuchuan in Guangdong and Hainan's Wenchang. Ferry services were suspended and flights cancelled at Haikou Meilan airport.

Typhoon Statistics

Matmo, this year's 21st typhoon of the year, recorded wind speeds of 94mph and dumped over 50mm of precipitation in six hours in Chongzou and Qinzhou. Urban areas of Nanning also experienced significant rain amounts.

Matmo triggered China's top-tier emergency warning, with disturbances in the city, where businesses, transportation systems and highways were closed. In Hong Kong, 100 flights were impacted and 30 cancelled.

Forecast and Movement

As the typhoon advances inward towards Cao Bang province in the neighboring country, it is expected to weaken into a less intense system with 55mph winds but will persist to bring heavy rainfall. Northern Vietnam could experience significant rainfall on the following day, raising the risk of inundation and landslides. The system is expected to move towards Yunnan province in China, where additional heavy rainfall is likely.

Other Storm Systems

Meanwhile, Hurricane Priscilla formed off the Pacific shoreline of Mexico on Saturday night, first as a storm system. It led to a weather alert for south-western regions from a coastal point to another location on Monday.

In the morning of Sunday, Priscilla was about 491 kilometers from a Mexican cape with sustained winds of 105km/h. It strengthened into a severe cyclone in the night, when wind speeds peaked at 121km/h.

Though not expected to make landfall, Priscilla is likely to generate hazardous swells and strong currents as it tracks northwestward along the coast towards a Mexican state. Heavy rainfall is predicted on the coming day, reaching 100-150mm in Michoacán and western Guerrero, with local totals at about 200mm. Colima and western Jalisco could receive moderate to heavy rain.

Elsewhere, Cyclone Shakhti has developed as the first post-monsoon storm system of the year in the Arabian Sea, prompting an alert from the national weather agency for an Indian state. On Sunday, the cyclone was 130 miles south-east of a location in Oman with maximum sustained winds of 64mph.

The storm, which has tracked in a southwestern direction and weakened, is predicted to turn eastward into the the sea. Turbulent waters are likely to continue along the coastal stretch and heavy rainfall is expected in coastal districts including Dwarka, Jamnagar and Surat.