Typhoon Champi Shuts Down Taiwan Leaving One Dead And Scores Injured
The storm disrupted transport, closed financial markets and triggered mass evacuations as forecasters warned of prolonged heavy rainfall across the island.
Typhoon Champi moved toward northeastern Taiwan on Friday, October 23, 2026. The storm left one person dead, injured dozens, and forced the closure of schools, businesses and transport networks.
Emergency responders reported that waves swept one person to sea off the coast. Authorities said 163 people sustained injuries, revising an earlier count of 171. The Central Weather Administration issued sea and land typhoon warnings across the territory.
Government administrative offices, financial markets and schools shut across nearly all of Taiwan. Only the outlying Kinmen islands operated normally. The transport ministry grounded 262 domestic flights and 717 international flights, though north-south high-speed rail lines maintained regular operation.
Officials ordered preventative evacuations from vulnerable areas. Emergency responders said crews evacuated more than 1,200 people. Taiwan's government reported 2,639 people evacuated specifically from mountainous regions.
President Lai Ching-te urged residents to stay alert, prepare for heavy rain, and avoid travel to mountains and coasts.
Taiwan placed more than 23,000 military personnel on standby to assist with rescue and flood mitigation. Forecasters projected rainfall totals of up to 900 millimeters across northern and northeastern mountains from Thursday through Saturday.
The storm had a wind radius of about 320 kilometers, broad enough to cover most of the main island.
Champi attained super typhoon status earlier in the week with sustained winds reaching 298 km/h. By Friday, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center assessed that the storm weakened to maximum sustained winds of 176 km/h. Weather officials recorded gusts near 191 km/h near the storm center.
Weather Forecast Center Deputy Director Wu Wan-hua said the typhoon would likely slow down off northeastern Taiwan with a low chance of direct landfall. Forecaster Lu Kuo-chen stated that a slower storm would prolong severe weather impacts on Taiwan.
Atmospheric G2 meteorologist James Caron said an intense El Niño pattern drove the rapid intensification. The storm developed after passing within 16 kilometers of Guam, where the Philippine weather agency PAGASA designated it Super Typhoon Rosal.
United Nations and World Meteorological Organization officials noted that this El Niño cycle is among the most intense observed, with disruptions peaking around December.
Forecasters projected Champi will track past northeastern Taiwan through Saturday, October 24, before curving toward eastern China and southern Japan. Taiwanese forecaster Chang Cheng-Chuan said officials expect to lift domestic land and sea warnings on Saturday afternoon.
