This is the dramatic moment powerful winds from Typhoon Matmo caused chaos as they tore through a family campsite in southern China.

Footage shows panicked campers fleeing across an open field as strong gusts sent debris flying into the air in Guangdong province on Saturday, October 4.

Some were seen hastily dismantling their tents before moving away from the area.

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.