Overview
- Taiwan largely shut down on Friday with hundreds of flights canceled and about 1,200 to 1,300 people evacuated or sheltered as authorities prepared for the storm's closest approach off the northeast coast.
- Champi reached an estimated peak of about 296 km/h (185 mph) on October 20 according to NASA’s MODIS program making it the strongest tropical cyclone of 2026 by that wind metric while other agencies report lower values due to different measurement methods.
- The typhoon has a broad wind radius of roughly 320 km, which allows outer bands to affect most of Taiwan and carry forecasts of up to about 900 mm of rain in northern mountains and waves taller than 6 meters.
- Although Champi has weakened from its peak, official forecasts keep it passing offshore of northeastern Taiwan then curving north toward eastern China and southern Japan, with models diverging on track and intensity beyond 24 to 48 hours.
- Earlier close passage past Guam caused damage, power outages and sheltering, emergency forces in Taiwan mobilized thousands of personnel, and forecasters warned that El Niño‑warmed seas helped fuel the storm and may raise regional storm risk this season.