Guangdong: South China’s Guangdong Province has escalated its emergency response to the maximum level as Typhoon Matmo intensifies. Cumulative evacuations have surpassed 150,000 to ensure public safety, as reported by Xinhua.
According to Emirates News Agency, the storm reached maximum sustained wind speeds of 151 kph (94 mph) on Sunday morning, as stated by China’s National Meteorological Center. The typhoon is anticipated to make landfall around midday, prompting the weather authority to issue a red level typhoon warning, the highest in its system.
Authorities have also issued warnings of heavy rain, with some areas expected to receive between 100 and 249 mm of rainfall. The provincial flood control headquarters upgraded the emergency response to Level I on Sunday morning. By Saturday evening, authorities had relocated 151,352 residents, including 9,916 from maritime regions.
Typhoon Matmo, identified as the 21st named storm of the 2025 Pacific typhoon season, is advancing northwest at approximately 25 km per hour. It is forecast to hit land around noon as a severe typhoon with winds reaching up to 45 meters per second. Coastal cities are preparing for heavy rain and storms.
In anticipation of the typhoon’s impact, the city of Zhanjiang has enacted a complete shutdown of classes, work, production, transport, and businesses since Saturday evening. Additionally, all highways were closed from Sunday morning. Maritime authorities have halted operations in the affected waters, with rescue resources strategically deployed across the region.
China operates a four-tier emergency response system, with Level I indicating the most severe response, and a corresponding four-tier weather warning system where red signifies the most severe warning, succeeded by orange, yellow, and blue.