TAIPEI — Almost all of Taiwan shut down on Friday as Typhoon Champi, one of the strongest storms in the Pacific this year, swept toward the island with destructive winds and torrential rain.
Schools and offices closed across the island, financial markets halted trading, and airlines cancelled hundreds of flights. According to Taiwan’s transport ministry, all 262 scheduled domestic flights were cancelled for Friday, along with 669 international services. Only the Kinmen islands, which sit close to the Chinese coast, opened schools and offices as normal.
The storm was about 330 kilometres (205 miles) east of Taiwan’s southern tip on Friday morning, according to Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration (CWA), packing gusts of around 191 kph (119 mph) near its centre. With a storm radius of roughly 320 kilometres, Champi is large enough to affect most of the island — even though its centre is forecast to remain offshore.
From super typhoon to a still-dangerous storm
Champi peaked earlier this week at maximum sustained winds of 298 kph (185 mph), briefly reaching super-typhoon intensity. It has since weakened, but forecasters warn that its enormous size and slow movement make it a serious threat. Taiwan’s weather experts said the storm’s impact could last nearly two days.
The CWA forecast shows Champi passing just off northeastern Taiwan, turning north toward waters off the Chinese coast and eventually moving into southern Japan. The typhoon is expected to first pass over Yonaguni, Japan’s westernmost inhabited island, in Okinawa Prefecture.
Taiwan is generally very well prepared for typhoons, which keeps casualties low — but even autumn storms can turn deadly. One person was killed on Thursday after being swept away by powerful waves off Liuqiu, a small island near Taiwan’s southeastern coast, the fire department said. Another 94 people were injured across the island.
Evacuations and outages across the region
Nearly 1,300 residents, mostly from vulnerable mountainous areas, were evacuated ahead of the storm’s arrival, the government said. In Taipei, squally showers hit the capital, though public transport including the subway continued operating with reduced service.
The storm’s reach extends well beyond Taiwan. In southwestern Japan, one person was injured on Miyako island — a woman in her 70s suffered a broken leg in the blowing wind, according to the Okinawa prefecture government — while nearly 2,000 homes on Ishigaki island were without electricity. Dozens of flights in and out of the southwestern islands, including Miyako, Ishigaki and Okinawa, were cancelled.
In the Philippines, the coast guard prohibited ships and ferries from venturing into increasingly choppy waters off several northern towns and cities on Friday.
What comes next
Champi’s forecast track takes it close to Taiwan’s northeastern coast before bending north toward Japan’s southwestern islands. Authorities warned that heavy rainfall and strong winds are expected through Saturday, and urged residents in coastal areas to avoid outdoor activities and driving and to be cautious of falling objects.
Although more common in summer, typhoons can strike Taiwan in autumn — and Champi, despite weakening, remains one of the most powerful storms of the season.
Sources: Reuters; The Associated Press (via The New Indian Express, Mathrubhumi English); Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration; Taiwan transport ministry; Okinawa prefecture government.