This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Most shops and schools were shut across Taiwan on Friday as Typhoon Champi neared the island, forcing hundreds of people to leave their homes ahead of the powerful storm. The typhoon is expected to sweep past Taiwan's northeast as it moves toward China and Japan, triggering the cancellation of hundreds of flights in the region.
At least one person has been killed in Taiwan after being swept away by waves whipped up by the typhoon, authorities said. Dozens of others have been injured. Champi is the latest in a busy Pacific storm season turbocharged by the El Niño weather phenomenon that has caused unprecedented warming in the equatorial Pacific.
The storm was briefly a super typhoon as it crossed the ocean, but has been weakening as it approaches Taiwan and now has maximum sustained wind speeds of 167 kilometers (104 miles) per hour, according to the latest update from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. Heavy rain, strong winds and giant waves are forecast for Friday and Saturday, and thousands of military personnel are on standby to assist with rescue efforts. More than 1,200 people had been evacuated from their homes ahead of Champi.
"As it approaches Taiwan's northeastern tip ... the typhoon may slow down. If it slows down, its impact will last longer," the Central Weather Administration's Lu Kuo-chen told a briefing. In Japan, several local events in the southern Okinawa prefecture have been canceled.
There has been no change to the ongoing Japan–U.S. joint military exercise, Keen Sword, being held in various parts of Japan, but a Japanese military spokeswoman has said they will be "flexible" in implementing the drill. Professional storm chaser James Reynolds posted a video on X from Ishigaki showing a "fierce storm tide" in a channel leading to the island's harbor as Champi's strong winds whipped across the water. "I'm seeing the ocean do things I've not seen in 20 years of doing this!!" Reynolds said in the post.
Champi is expected to dump up to 90 centimeters (35 inches) of rain from Thursday to Saturday, with northeastern Taiwan to be hardest hit, the forecaster said. "People should be aware that the strong winds and extremely heavy rain will continue into the first half of tomorrow," Lu said. Work and classes were canceled for the day across nearly all of Taiwan, leaving streets quiet as most locals hunkered down at home.
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