Typhoon Champi shuts Taiwan offices and schools, hundreds of flights cancelled
Powerful Typhoon Champi approached Taiwan's north-east coast on Friday, with hundreds of flights cancelled across East Asia. One person died, 171 were injured and 1,000 were evacuated in Taiwan.
Powerful Typhoon Champi closed in on Taiwan's north-east coast on Friday, leading to the cancellation of hundreds of flights across East Asia. Schools and offices were shut in Taiwan, the island off China's eastern coast. The storm is one of a series of intense typhoons driven by an unusually strong El Niño, a natural phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean that recurs every few years and can trigger extreme weather.
Casualties and warnings
Authorities said one person died after being swept away by waves. The storm injured 171 people and forced about 1,000 others to evacuate. People have been urged to stay away from coasts and mountains.
Taiwan's Central Weather Administration forecasts up to 90cm of rain in the north-east until Saturday, along with strong winds. Rainfall is expected to peak on Saturday morning and last until the evening. On Friday afternoon, gusts reached 191 kph.
Will it make landfall?
Forecasts from weather agencies in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Japan indicate the eye of the storm will pass without hitting Taiwan. However, a forecaster at the Central Weather Administration told Reuters that landfall cannot be ruled out, especially if the storm stalls, loops or wobbles from side to side. After passing Taiwan's north-eastern tip and Japan's southern Okinawa islands, Champi is expected to linger over waters off China's eastern coast before curving north-east towards Japan's main island.
Impact in Taiwan, Japan and the Philippines
Work and classes were suspended on Friday in nearly all of Taiwan's 22 counties and cities, and the stock exchange, valued at $5tn, was closed. Only the Kinmen archipelago carried on as usual. In Japan's Okinawa prefecture, power outages hit nearly 8,400 households, and four Japanese airlines cancelled more than 160 flights. Heavy rain and wind also hit Batanes, a Philippine island chain, where no casualties were immediately reported.
Season context
Earlier this week Champi was the planet's strongest storm of the year, with sustained winds of 298km/h, equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane, before weakening on Wednesday. It is Japan's 30th typhoon of the year, the first time the country has seen so many since 2013.
