Typhoon Matmo Makes Landfall In Taiwan

Typhoon Matmo made landfall in Taiwan Tuesday night with winds over 100 mph and heavy rain. The category two typhoon made landfall along the country’s east coast.

Lanyu Township, just east of the main island of Taiwan, experienced rainfall of 10 to 12 inches by Tuesday evening, and wind gusts over 100 mph pelted the small island for several hours as the eye of the storm passed northeast, reports AccuWeather.

Matmo caused heavy rain throughout Taiwan as it moved inland. Yuli township, near the central east coast, reported over 18 inches of rain through early Wednesday morning local time. Heavy rain and strong winds are expected to worsen across most of Taiwan through Wednesday morning as the storm crosses the island and moves into the Formosa Straight during the day.

Localized rainfall over 24 inches is expected to fall in some areas because of the country’s mountainous terrain. Heavy rainfall could cause dangerous and life-threatening mudslides, along with flooding. A second landfall is likely on China’s east coast Wednesday afternoon after Typhoon Matmo passes over Taiwan.

The Washington Post notes that the massive typhoon comes one week after Typhoon Rammasum made landfall in southeast China, killing more than 100 people. Rammasum made landfall on Hainan province Friday after it veered west.

The typhoon grounded planes in Nanning, the capital of Guangxi, standing 1,300 passengers and suspending train service between Nanning and coastal cities. The storm also struck the Philippines earlier in the week, killing more than 94 people and displacing another 500,000.

Matmo is not expected to make landfall in the Philippines, but northern parts of the country will still feel the effects of the powerful storm as it passes to the country’s Northeast. The country will see heavy rains in western parts as Matmo gathers some strength from the South China Sea. The rainfall could cause flooding in parts of Mimaropa, Visayas, and Luzon.

The Joint Typhoon Warning Center expects winds to decrease to 80 mph by the time Typhoon Matmo hits China. It will spend a brief time in the Strait, allowing little time for the storm to build strength again. Because of this, Matmo should make landfall in China as a category 1 on the Saffir Simpson Hurricane Scale.

While it won’t see a direct impact, the southern Ryukyu Islands of Japan will see rain and wind. However, most of the storm’s impact will be confined to the islands immediately east of Taiwan, and remain to the south and west of Okinawa. That area is still recovering from Typhoon Neoguri earlier this month.

After it pushes into eastern China, Typhoon Matmo will travel northward because of a trough tracking west of Shanghai across China’s interior.

[Image by NASA]