Overview

• The National Meteorological Centre said Matmo intensified into a severe typhoon and kept a red alert in force as it came ashore between Wuchuan in Guangdong and Wenchang in Hainan around midday to mid-afternoon Sunday.
• Sustained winds were reported at roughly 150 km/h, with forecasters warning of torrential rain, flash floods and landslides across Hainan, Guangdong and into Guangxi and Yunnan.
• Authorities reported 151,352 relocations in Guangdong with more than 10,000 emergency personnel deployed, while Xinhua said 197,000 people were evacuated on Hainan Island.
• All flights at Haikou Meilan were halted from late Saturday, Hainan’s rail services were suspended for Sunday, and Qiongzhou Strait ferries and many tourist vessels were stopped.
• Cities including Haikou, Wenchang and Zhanjiang ordered closures of schools, businesses and public transport, with further disruptions reported in Beihai and flight delays and cancellations in Hong Kong.