Taiwan's Central Weather Administration says a sea warning for Typhoon Champi, the year's 30th, could be issued as early as Wednesday night, the 21st. The track remains uncertain, and whether it turns north later this week is the key.
Citing the Taipei Times via the Liberty Times, Taiwan's Central Weather Administration (CWA) said a sea warning for Typhoon Champi could be issued as early as Wednesday night, the 21st, with a land warning possibly following on Thursday night or Friday. The report gave only weekdays; the dates here are converted from its October 19 publication.
광고 문의 · 300×250According to the CWA, as of 2 p.m. on the 18th Champi was about 2,470 kilometers east-southeast of Oluanpi, Taiwan's southernmost tip, moving west-northwest at 20 kph. Maximum sustained winds near the center were 191 kph, with a storm radius of 200 km. Champi is the 30th typhoon of the year, and both the Hong Kong Observatory and the CWA earlier forecast it could grow into a severe typhoon.
Expected impact and track uncertainty
The greatest impact on Taiwan is expected on Friday and Saturday, with heavy rain forecast for central and northern Taiwan and for Yilan and Hualien counties in the east. Before that, Monday and Tuesday should be relatively stable, mostly cloudy to sunny, though brief isolated showers are possible on the Keelung coast, in the northeast and southeast, and on the Hengchun Peninsula.
CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said Champi is expected to keep its strength as it heads for waters northeast of Taiwan, though some models show a possible landfall in eastern Taiwan, so the track is uncertain. If the Pacific high weakens sooner than expected, the storm could turn north before reaching Taiwan; if it strengthens, Champi could take a more southerly path or pass through the Bashi Channel between Taiwan and the Philippines. International models still diverge, and the next day is expected to show whether it turns north.
Outlooks for neighboring areas also differ. Focus Taiwan, citing a CWA forecast on the 16th, said Champi would reach waters south of the Ryukyu Islands around the 20th to 21st and turn gradually north around the 22nd. Hong Kong's The Standard reported that on the 15th the Hong Kong Observatory saw a higher chance of a northward turn east of Taiwan, with a direct hit on Hong Kong unlikely, and the storm possibly nearing waters east of Luzon in the Philippines. Some AI models suggested a pass near Tokyo on the 25th to 26th, but that is a low-confidence long-range projection.
What is confirmed in this reporting is limited to the CWA's possible warning timing and the track uncertainty. Official warnings or damage outlooks from Japanese and Philippine authorities were not confirmed in this search. Residents in Taiwan should follow the latest CWA forecasts and prepare for heavy rain on Friday and Saturday and rough seas.
