Southern China braces for typhoon Matmo with orange-level weather alert

On October 4, China’s National Meteorological Centre (NMC)  issued an orange-level alert — the second-highest in its four-tier warning system — for Typhoon Matmo, the 21st typhoon of the year, which is intensifying as it approaches the country’s southern coast.

At 5 a.m. Saturday, the typhoon was located at 18 degrees north latitude and 117.7 degrees east longitude, moving northwest at 25-30 kilometres per hour, the NMC  said, quoted by Chinese media.

The agency forecasts that Matmo is likely to make landfall on the afternoon of October 5 along coastal areas stretching from Dianbai District in Guangdong province to Wanning city in Hainan province.

The NMC warned that the typhoon would bring strong winds and heavy rainfall to the southern coastal regions of China from Saturday morning to Sunday morning, urging local authorities to prepare emergency responses and remain vigilant for potential mountain flows and geological disasters triggered by heavy rain.

China uses a four-level weather warning system, with red indicating the highest danger, followed by orange, yellow, and blue.

By Tamilla Hasanova