The authorities have already transferred to more than 350.000 residents of exposed areas, with a particular focus on Hainan (more than 197.000 people) and Guangdong province (more than 150.000). The following measures have also been suspended: All ferry routes on the Guangxi coast, about 26.000 tourists were evacuated on Weizhou Island and relocated 4.024 ship and platform workers in high sea.
Trajectory, intensity and touch down
The national meteorological center first raised the alert to orange level and as the system progressed, it activated the Red alert, the highest in the country. Initial forecasts placed the possible entry between Dianbai (Canton) and Wanning (Hainan), before the cyclone weakened inland, a pattern documented and comparable in the balance and evolution of Typhoon Ragasa.
Finally, Matmo came ashore in the coastal city of Zhanjiang (south of Canton) at 14:50 local time, with maximum winds close to 42 m / s and a minimum central pressure of around 965 hPa. After the impact, the system continues moving northwest at 20 – 25 km / h, with a tendency to lose intensity.
In the previous hours, the eye of the cyclone was located at about 200 km southeast of Xuwen and the outer bands were already leaving intense gusts and heavy rain in large areas of the coast. Regional observatories reported widespread adverse conditions in the area between Wuchuan (Canton) and Wenchang (Hainan).
The episode coincides with the week of vacation for the National Day, a circumstance that has led to reinforced recommendations to avoid outdoor activities and limit non-essential travel in coastal areas.
Extraordinary evacuations and closures
The provinces of Hainan and Guangdong have been the most demanding in preventive measures: in Hainan, in addition to the transfer of more than 197.000 people, were suspended classes, administrative and commercial activity in the capital, Haikou, as part of a package of temporary restrictions.
On the transportation front, the international airport of Haikou canceled all operations from 23:00 p.m. on Saturday, while the Zhangjiang disrupted flights during the day of greatest impact. In addition, railway services from Hainan were stopped and maritime traffic was completely cut off. Qiongzhou Strait.
The emergency wind response was raised to level 1 in Canton, the maximum of the provincial protocol, accompanied by temporary closures of beaches and tourist areas by the sea in cities such as Zhuhai. The works on the coast and port operations They were also paused for safety reasons.
In neighboring Guangxi, all routes of passenger ferries were suspended and evacuated 26.000 visitors from Weizhou Island. In parallel, it was redistributed to 4.024 effective from ships and oil platforms to safe areas to minimize risks.
Extreme rainfall, hydrological risk, and the previous passage through the Philippines
The storm is leaving Torrential rains between southern and central China, with special incidence in Canton, Guangxi, Hainan and YunnanAccumulations are expected that could reach 320 mm in areas of southwest Guangzhou, northern Hainan and southern Guangxi between today and Monday.
Given the risk of flooding, the Ministry of Water Resources maintains a national level 3 response due to flooding and warns of possible significant increases in flow in medium and small rivers, including the Pearl River BasinIn Hainan, reservoirs released preemptively more than 800 million m³ to manage the arrival of new rainfall.
Before reaching China, Matmo struck northern Luzon (Philippines), where it arrived with sustained winds of up to 130 km / h and gusts that reached 215 km/h. The system, known there as Paolo, made landfall in the town of Dinapigué around 9:00 a.m. local time, according to the Philippine meteorological service PAGASA.
In the archipelago they were warned heavy rains and possible flash flooding and landslides, especially in mountainous and coastal areas. After passing through Luzon, forecasts already indicated that the cyclone would face the south of Canton during the weekend.
The evolution of Matmo has been closely followed by observatories in the region, chaining warnings and alert level increases within hours, a common pattern in well-organized tropical cyclones that pass through warm waters before making landfall.
With the evacuations already carried outWith transportation partially suspended and emergency protocols in place, authorities are focusing on the post-impact stretch: assess damage, safely restore services and monitor the peaks of rainfall and flooding which may still cause incidents in the coming hours.
