Typhoon Champi brought significant disruption to the East Asia region on Friday as the powerful storm moved toward Taiwan’s north-eastern coastline. Schools and offices throughout Taiwan suspended operations, while authorities issued warnings for residents to avoid coastal and mountainous areas. The storm produced wind gusts of 191km/h and was expected to deliver approximately 90cm of rainfall to affected regions through Saturday, with peak precipitation anticipated Saturday morning.
The typhoon’s approach resulted in multiple casualties and injuries. One person died after being swept away by waves, while 171 others sustained injuries. Authorities also evacuated approximately 1,000 residents from vulnerable areas. Across the region, hundreds of flights were cancelled, including more than 160 cancellations by four Japanese airlines. In southern Japan’s Okinawa prefecture, power outages affected nearly 8,400 households.
Meteorological agencies in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Japan projected that the storm’s eye would pass without making landfall on the island, though forecasters acknowledged the possibility could not be entirely ruled out depending on the system’s movement patterns. After approaching Taiwan’s north-eastern tip and the Okinawa islands, the storm was forecast to move over waters off China’s eastern coast before curving toward Japan’s main island. The Philippines also experienced heavy rainfall and strong winds, with damage reported to seaside communities in Batanes.
Champi has become part of an unusually active typhoon season in the region. Earlier in the week, the storm reached peak intensity as the year’s strongest storm, attaining maximum sustained winds equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane before weakening. Meteorologists attributed the elevated storm activity to an unusually strong El Niño phenomenon affecting the Pacific Ocean, which fuels severe weather events. Japan has now experienced 30 typhoons this year, marking the first occurrence of such high frequency since 2013.
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