Taiwan issues land warning ahead of arrival of powerful Typhoon Champi

TAIPEI – Taiwan issued a land warning on Oct 22 ahead of the arrival of powerful Typhoon Champi and cancelled more than 100 flights, with the storm expected to brush past the island’s north-eastern coast and gradually weaken on approach.At one point a super typhoon and one of the strongest storms in the Pacific in 2026, Champi weakened slightly on Oct 22 but was still packing gusts of more than 227kmh near its centre, according to Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration (CWA).The storm is currently about 250km south-east of Taiwan’s north-eastern county of Yilan, the CWA said. The storm’s track shows it will pass north-eastern Taiwan, turn north toward the Chinese coast and eventually move into southern Japan.The administration said the typhoon’s radius expanded slightly to 320km, large enough to cover most of Taiwan, and weather experts said its impact could last nearly two days.While typhoons are more common during the summer months, they can also strike in autumn, bringing strong winds and torrential rain.Mobile phone alerts warning of waves of more than 6m were issued to coastal towns, while total rainfall of nearly 1m was expected in northern mountain areas, including the hills near the capital Taipei.Champi is expected to be at its closest to Taiwan late on Oct 23, off its north-eastern coast, before heading north in the direction of the seas off Shanghai.Taiwan’s transport ministry said 125 flights had been cancelled on Oct 22, mostly domestic ones, though the rail network was so far unaffected. The interior ministry said no evacuations of residents had yet been reported.Taiwan is generally very well prepared for typhoons, which keeps casualties low.The typhoon is forecast to first pass over Japan’s westernmost inhabited island, Yonaguni, in Okinawa Prefecture.In Japan, major carriers Japan Airlines, ANA and Skymark have cancelled more than 100 flights, mostly domestic, between Oct 22 and 25, disrupting travel for over 11,000 passengers. REUTERS