This is the dramatic moment winds and heavy rain from Typhoon Matmo battered an open-air eatery in southern China.

Footage shows a staff member struggling to hold down a tarpaulin cover as intense downpours and powerful gusts swept through the area in Guangdong on October 5.

Matmo made landfall in the region on Sunday, disrupting transport services, displacing an estimated 347,000 people, and raising concerns over potential flooding.

The National Meteorological Centre (NMC) said the storm, China's 21st typhoon of the year, intensified into a severe tropical system before striking the coast between Wuchuan in Guangdong and Wenchang in Hainan around midday.

The freak weather, moving northwest at approximately 25 kph, brought maximum sustained winds of 151 kph.

Matmo is expected to weaken as it tracks inland towards Yunnan province and into northern Vietnam.