Typhoon Matmo strengthened ahead of making landfall on Sunday in China, prompting the government to evacuate some 347,000 people from the southern provinces of Guangdong and Hainan. The typhoon had maximum sustained wind speeds of 151 kmph on Sunday morning. It hit Zhanjiang in Guangdong around mid-afternoon Sunday.

The weather authority issued a red-level typhoon warning, the highest in its system. 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.