Key takeaways
- Typhoon Champi, a tropical cyclone that peaked at 298 km/h, shut schools, offices and airports across Taiwan on October 23, 2026, while its centre stayed offshore.
- Taiwan's Transport Ministry said all 262 domestic flights and 669 international flights were cancelled, and one person died after being swept away by waves.
- Reported injury and evacuation totals differ between outlets, which reflects a fast-moving situation rather than settled counts.
- The storm is forecast to turn toward Japan's southwestern islands and reach the southern mainland on Monday, October 26, with the track still carrying uncertainty.
Typhoon Champi, the strongest tropical cyclone recorded anywhere in the world so far in 2026, brushed past Taiwan on Friday, October 23, 2026, forcing the closure of schools, offices and airports. According to CBC News, citing Associated Press reporting, one person has died and the storm is now forecast to swing toward Japan’s southwestern islands. The event matters beyond Taiwan because it disrupts air traffic and power supply across several East Asian economies and follows earlier damage in the Pacific territories of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.
A tropical cyclone is a rotating storm system that forms over warm ocean water. In the western North Pacific it is called a typhoon once sustained winds pass a set threshold.
What has tropical cyclone Champi done in Taiwan?
Taiwan’s Transport Ministry said all 262 domestic flights and 669 international flights were cancelled on Friday, according to CBC News. The storm had weakened to sustained winds of 155 km/h as it approached from the southwest, and its centre was forecast to stay offshore while passing the island’s northeastern tip.
The fire department said a person was swept away by waves on Thursday, October 22, in Liuqiu, a small island off the southeastern coast. Injury figures vary by outlet. The Associated Press, via ABC News, reported 94 injured, while a later report carried by Yahoo News cited 171 injured as of Friday morning, based on fire department data.
Evacuation totals also differ. The government put the number at almost 1,300 people moved from vulnerable mountainous areas, according to the AP, while CBC’s account cited more than 2,600.
The Central Emergency Operations Center and local authorities reported road and harbour damage. Focus Taiwan, the English service of the Central News Agency, reported that waves of up to 6 metres swept a large crane into the sea at Fugang Harbor in Taitung County at about 9:40 a.m. On Provincial Highway 9, part of a roadbed was washed away near Duoliang Village.
Power supply was affected, though less severely than feared. Reporting from News Directory 3 said more than 77,000 homes lost electricity at first and that Taipower restored most quickly. The same report said TSMC, the world’s largest contract chipmaker, stated that its operations remained normal.
How strong did Champi get, and where did it pass first?
According to CBC, Champi reached maximum sustained winds of 298 km/h earlier this week. A report in the Nation Thailand said it held Category 5 strength from October 18 to October 20. Yahoo News, carrying AccuWeather material, said it tied Super Typhoon Sinlaku for the highest winds measured in any tropical storm this year, at 185 mph (about 296 km/h).
Before reaching Taiwan, the storm passed close to the US territory of Guam. Local reporting by the Pacific Island Times said the eye passed about 10 miles south of Merizo on October 18, local time, and that officials found no major damage. President Donald Trump approved emergency declarations for Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, according to The Epoch Times, with the federal government covering 75 percent of eligible costs.
The islands were already strained. Pasquines reported that Super Typhoon Sinlaku struck Saipan on April 14 and caused more than $1 billion in damage in the Northern Marianas alone, and that some water systems had not been restored since then.
What does the tropical cyclone mean for Japan and the Philippines?
In southwestern Japan, the typhoon injured one person, grounded flights and cut power, according to the AP. A woman in her 70s broke a leg on Miyako island, the Okinawa prefectural government said. Yahoo News, carrying a BBC report, said Okinawa Electric Power counted nearly 8,400 households without electricity and that four Japanese airlines had cancelled more than 160 flights. The same report described Champi as Japan’s 30th typhoon of the year, the first time that many storms had been counted since 2013.
In the Philippines, the coast guard barred ships and ferries from the waters off several northern towns on Friday, and the airport at Basco in Batanes was shut, according to CBC. Philippine forecaster PAGASA, quoted by The Watchers, expected the storm to leave the Philippine area of responsibility by early October 24.
Where is Typhoon Champi going next?
CBC reported that experts expect the heaviest effects in Taiwan to last through Saturday, October 24, and that the storm should reach Japan’s southern mainland on Monday, October 26. China’s National Meteorological Center forecasts, as summarised by Baidu Baike, point to the southern East China Sea on the night of October 23, then a turn northeast off Zhejiang and a track toward southwestern Japan, where it would become an extratropical cyclone. That entry is a crowd-edited reference, so the track should be checked against official bulletins.
Uncertainty remains. Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration forecaster Liu Pei-teng told Reuters, as quoted by NBC News, that landfall could not be ruled out if the storm stalls, loops or wobbles on approach.
Why does the UN system matter for this storm?
Typhoon names come from a shared regional system. According to a Weathernews explainer, the WMO and the ESCAP/WMO Typhoon Committee adopt names in sequence so warnings are clear, and Champi was contributed by Laos. Coverage reviewed here does not report a UN appeal for this storm. The broader seasonal setting is a separate UN theme: Intelligence Report has covered the UN’s El Nino warning, though the sources cited here do not establish a direct link to Champi.
What to watch
- Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration updates on October 24, when the heaviest effects are expected to ease, and any revised casualty and evacuation totals.
- Whether Taiwanese and Japanese airlines resume full schedules over the weekend.
- Japan Meteorological Agency warnings for Okinawa and the southern mainland ahead of the forecast arrival on October 26.
- Damage assessments in Taitung County and on the Provincial Highway 9 roadbed.
- Any further US federal designations for Guam and the Northern Marianas, which reporting says may follow damage assessments.
Frequently asked questions
How strong was Typhoon Champi at its peak?
Typhoon Champi peaked at maximum sustained winds of 298 km/h, according to CBC News. AccuWeather material carried by Yahoo News put the peak at 185 mph, tying Super Typhoon Sinlaku as the strongest tropical cyclone of 2026. It weakened to 155 km/h as it approached Taiwan on October 23.
How many flights did Taiwan cancel because of Typhoon Champi?
Taiwan's Transport Ministry said all 262 domestic flights and 669 international flights were cancelled on Friday, October 23, 2026, according to CBC News. Schools and offices were also closed across the main island. High-speed rail on the western coast kept operating normally, according to the Associated Press.
Will Typhoon Champi hit Japan?
Champi is forecast to turn toward Japan's southwestern islands and reach the southern mainland on Monday, October 26, according to CBC News. It has already cut power and grounded flights in Okinawa. Forecasters caution that the track carries uncertainty, and the storm is expected to weaken as it moves north.
Sources
- Typhoon Champi damages roads, knocks out power across Taiwan
- Hundreds of flights cancelled, schools closed as Typhoon Champi hits Taiwan
- Taiwan shuts schools and grounds flights as Typhoon Champi brushes by
- Taiwan shuts down ahead of Typhoon Champi, with nearly 1,000 flights canceled
- Hundreds of flights cancelled as Typhoon Champi shuts Taiwan
- Champi, one of 2026's strongest storms, kills 1 and injures 171 as Taiwan shuts down
- Champi leaves Guam, CNMI unscathed
- Typhoon Champi Triggers Emergency Declarations for Guam, Northern Mariana Islands
- Update: Typhoon No. 30 (Champi) Reaches Peak Intensity
Top image: MagicTV / Pixabay
This article was produced by the Intelligence Report Desk. Sources are linked below.
