The tropical cyclone named Typhoon Matmo disrupted transportation, forced more than 151,000 evacuations and raised fears of flooding as it barreled toward Guangdong Province, China. Typhoon Matmo made landfall in southern China after disrupting transportation, forcing more than 151,000 evacuations and raising fears of flooding, according to the authorities.
As Matmo moved through the South China Sea, it had maximum sustained winds of 104 miles per hour, which is equivalent to those of a Category 2 storm in the Atlantic, according to the U.S. Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Centre.
The storm made landfall in Guangdong Province on was expected to gradually weaken while moving inland toward Guangxi Province. Forecasters warned that the storm could dump up to 10 to 12 inches in parts of the region through this afternoon, increasing the risk of flooding.
Hainan, which is also in the pathway of the storm, cancelled flights and shut down public transport and businesses starting Saturday in preparation for the storm. The province also preemptively evacuated 197,856 people, according to state media, The Paper.
Matmo directly hit the southwestern parts of Guangdong, where 151,000 people evacuated, The Paper reported. Meanwhile, local media aired footage showing large waves washing seawater onto roads in villages by the coast in Guangdong’s Zhanjiang.
Authorities are also warning of heavy rain, with rainfall expected to hit 100 to 249 mm (3.93 to 9.8 inches) in some parts of Guangdong and Hainan.
In the region of Macau, which is not in the typhoon’s direct path, classes and tutoring sessions were cancelled due to weather conditions.
Matmao had passed through the Philippines earlier this week. While there were no reports of casualties or major damage, the storm affected more than 220,000 people in five northern agricultural plains and mountainous regions. Nearly 35,000 of them either moved to emergency shelters or houses of relatives away from landslide or flood-prone villages, disaster-response officials said on Sunday.
The storm will then move westward and north, toward northern Vietnam and China’s Yunnan province.
Typhoon Matmo made landfall in southern China on Sunday after disrupting transportation, forcing more than 151,000 evacuations and raising fears of flooding, the authorities said.
As Matmo moved through the South China Sea on Sunday morning, it had maximum sustained winds of 104 miles per hour, equivalent to those of a Category 2 storm in the Atlantic, according to the U.S. Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center.
The storm made landfall in Guangdong Province on Sunday afternoon and was expected to gradually weaken while moving inland toward Guangxi Province. Forecasters warned that the storm could dump up to 10 to 12 inches in parts of the region through Monday afternoon, increasing the risk of flooding.
The southern provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi are home to nearly 180 million people, and nearby Hainan Province is a resort island the size of Maryland. Matmo is hitting China during an annual spree of shopping and travel built around China’s Oct. 1 National Day celebrations.
The storm prompted the Chinese authorities to issue a red alert, the highest level in a four-tier weather warning system for typhoons, as it approached China’s southern coast.
As of 8 p.m. Saturday the authorities in Guangdong had evacuated more than 151,000 people, the state-run China Central Television reported.
In Guangdong, officials closed expressways in the city of Zhanjiang and suspended some ferry services to Hong Kong, a Chinese territory east of Guangdong.
In Hainan, the government has suspended classes and some transportation. About 60 flights to and from the international airport serving the island had been canceled as of early Sunday afternoon, according to the flight tracking site FlightAware.
And in Guangxi, the authorities closed some tourist sites and evacuated tens of thousands of visitors.
The storm could also bring heavy rain, strong winds and potential flooding to parts of northern Vietnam late Sunday, the country’s meteorological service said.
Last week, Matmo tore through Luzon, the most populous island in the Philippines, as it forced thousands to leave a region still reeling from a deadly 6.9-magnitude earthquake that killed at least 72 people and injured about 300 others.
Matmo is the second major storm to threaten the area in nearly two weeks. At least 18 people were killed and dozens of others injured when Typhoon Ragasa blew through the Philippines, Taiwan, Hong Kong and mainland China in late September. The authorities in Guangdong Province evacuated more than one million people.
