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Typhoon Matmo made landfall on the southern shores of China on Sunday afternoon, shortly after sweeping across the island province of Hainan. The intense weather led to the evacuation of approximately 350,000 residents, delivering heavy downpours and damaging winds, particularly between Wuchuan in Guangdong and Wenchang in Hainan. Ferry services were halted and flights cancelled at the airport in Haikou.

Storm Details

The typhoon, the 21st typhoon of the year, recorded wind speeds of 94mph and poured more than 50mm of rainfall in a short period in Chongzou and Qinzhou. The city of the region also received high rainfall totals.

Matmo triggered China's top-tier red alert, with disruptions in the city, where commercial activities, transportation systems and roads were shut. In the special administrative region, numerous air services were affected and 30 cancelled.

Forecast and Movement

As Matmo advances inward towards Cao Bang province in the neighboring country, it is expected to diminish into a less intense system with 55mph winds but will continue to bring substantial precipitation. Northern Vietnam could face significant rainfall on the following day, increasing the risk of inundation and mudslides. The weather pattern is expected to move towards Yunnan province in China, where additional intense rain is probable.

Global Weather Events

At the same time, a hurricane named Priscilla formed off Mexico's Pacific coast on Saturday night, initially as a storm system. It led to a storm watch for south-western regions from Punta San Telmo to another location on Monday.

In the early hours of the next day, the hurricane was about 305 miles from Cabo Corrientes with sustained winds of 65mph. It intensified into a severe cyclone in the night, when wind speeds peaked at 121km/h.

Though not expected to hit the coast, the storm is likely to produce dangerous waves and strong currents as it moves northwestward along the coast towards Baja California Sur. Substantial rain is forecast on the coming day, amounting to a considerable volume in specific Mexican states, with local totals at about 20 centimeters. Colima and western Jalisco could face moderate to heavy rain.

In other parts, Cyclone Shakhti has formed as the initial post-season storm system of the year in the a body of water, prompting an warning from the India Meteorological Department for an Indian state. On that day, Shakhti was 130 miles south-east of a location in Oman with peak wind speeds of 103km/h.

Shakhti, which has tracked south-westward and weakened, is forecast to recurve towards the east into the Arabian Sea. Turbulent waters are likely to persist along the Gujarat-North Maharashtra coast and intense rain is expected in coastal districts including specific Indian cities.