BANGKOK: Typhoon Matmo intensified as it approached China, prompting authorities to evacuate approximately 347,000 residents from the southern provinces of Guangdong and Hainan.
According to China’s National Meteorological Centre, the storm recorded maximum sustained winds of 151 km/h on Sunday morning and made landfall in Zhanjiang, Guangdong, by mid-afternoon. The weather agency issued a red-level typhoon warning—the highest in its system.
Hainan, also in the typhoon’s projected path, preemptively canceled flights, suspended public transport, and closed businesses starting Saturday. The province evacuated 197,856 people in advance, according to state media outlet The Paper.
In Guangdong, Matmo directly struck the southwestern region, leading to the evacuation of 151,000 residents. Local media footage showed large waves inundating roads in coastal villages around Zhanjiang. Authorities have also warned of heavy rainfall, with totals expected to reach 100–249 mm (3.9–9.8 inches) in parts of Guangdong and Hainan.
In neighboring Macau, though not directly in the storm’s path, schools and tutoring centers were closed due to adverse weather.
Earlier this week, Matmo passed through the Philippines. While no casualties or major damage were reported, the storm affected over 220,000 people across five northern agricultural and mountainous regions. Nearly 35,000 residents sought refuge in emergency shelters or the homes of relatives in safer areas away from flood- or landslide-prone zones, disaster officials said.
The typhoon is expected to continue moving westward and north toward northern Vietnam and China’s Yunnan province.
