HAIKOU -- South China's Hainan province activated a Level-IV emergency typhoon response on Friday as Typhoon Matmo, the 21st named storm of the 2025 Pacific typhoon season, moved closer to the island.

The Hainan Meteorological Service forecasts that the typhoon will enter the eastern part of the South China Sea on Friday afternoon or evening, making landfall in the city of Wenchang or skimming the coast by daytime on Sunday. It is forecast to pack winds of 42 to 48 meters per second, which would categorize it as a severe typhoon.

As Matmo is forecasted to influence the island from Saturday night to daytime Sunday, a peak travel time during the eight-day National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, related authorities have called for strengthened safety measures at coastal, water-based and mountain tourism sites across Hainan.

Major flight routes, ferry services across the Qiongzhou Strait and high-speed rail operations are likely to be affected from Saturday night through Sunday, with normal services expected to resume by Monday morning.