Taiwan shuts down ahead of Typhoon Champi, hundreds of flights canceled
YILAN, Taiwan — Almost all of Taiwan shut down on Friday ahead of the arrival of Typhoon Champi, which is forecast to bring strong winds and torrential rain, and though the storm is weakening it could still make direct landfall on the island. At one point a super typhoon and one of the strongest storms in the Pacific this year, Champi was still packing gusts of around 191 kph (119 mph) near its…
On Friday, Taiwan came to a near halt in anticipation of Typhoon Champi, which is expected to unleash powerful winds and heavy rainfall. Despite the storm's weakening, it remains powerful enough to potentially make a direct impact on the island. At its peak, Champi was considered a super typhoon and one of the strongest storms in the Pacific this year, with gusts near 191 kph (119 mph), according to Taiwan's Central Weather Administration (CWA).
The storm was approximately 320 kilometers (198 miles) to the east of Taiwan's southern tip, according to the CWA. The forecast suggests the storm will pass just off northeastern Taiwan, turn north toward the Chinese coast, and finally move into southern Japan. Sadly, one individual lost their life and 94 others were injured in Taiwan.
The government reported that nearly 1,300 people were evacuated from mountainous regions. CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng cautioned that landfall cannot be ruled out if the storm stalls, loops, or wobbles from side to side as it approaches Taiwan. The storm's wind radius is particularly large, among the largest in recent years, Liu stated.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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