Super Typhoon Champi Reaches Category 5 in Pacific
- Super Typhoon Champi intensified into one of the strongest storms on Earth in 2026, reaching 1-minute sustained winds of 185 mph over the western Pacific Ocean on Oct.
- The storm tracked northwest across the Philippine Sea at 15 mph, packing maximum sustained winds of 175 mph after peaking earlier in the day, according to updates from...
- Champi rapidly intensified into a violent storm and brought life-threatening conditions to Guam as it passed nearly 10 miles south of the southern tip of the island, according...
Super Typhoon Champi intensified into one of the strongest storms on Earth in 2026, reaching 1-minute sustained winds of 185 mph over the western Pacific Ocean on Oct. 21, The Washington Post reported. The cyclone tied April’s Super Typhoon Sinlaku for the strongest winds of the year, matching the threshold of a Category 5 hurricane.
The storm tracked northwest across the Philippine Sea at 15 mph, packing maximum sustained winds of 175 mph after peaking earlier in the day, according to updates from the National Weather Service cited by Yahoo. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center classifies any tropical system with 1-minute sustained winds reaching 150 mph as a super typhoon, falling within the Category 4 hurricane range.
Typhoon Champi brushes Guam with violent winds
Champi rapidly intensified into a violent storm and brought life-threatening conditions to Guam as it passed nearly 10 miles south of the southern tip of the island, according to FOX Weather. The National Weather Service office in Guam issued an Extreme Wind Warning for far southern Guam, forecasting catastrophic winds between 115 and 135 mph.
The @washingtonpost recently published an op-ed by Ronald Shafer (@ronald_sha57306) on President Trump’s Triumphal Arch that was extremely dishonest and filled with outright falsehoods.Shafer falsely claims that building the Arch on Memorial Circle is inconsistent with the 1902… pic.twitter.com/IefOEDWLDp
Venturing outside can result in death from flying projectiles,
the National Weather Service warned in statements cited by FOX Weather.
Typhoon Warnings remained active for Guam and Rota, while Tropical Storm Warnings covered Tinian and Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands. FOX Weather noted that the Mariana Islands faced four other tropical systems earlier in the season amid warm Pacific waters and a strengthening El Niño.
Japan issues alerts as thirty named storms hit
As Champi advanced toward the south of Japan, the Japan Meteorological Agency reported on Oct. 21 that the system became the country’s 30th named storm of the year, known locally as taifū No. 30, according to The Japan Times. The agency categorized Champi as a super typhoon on its five-level scale, warning of maximum wind speeds reaching up to 216 kph.
Japan experienced an unusually high number of named storms, running 20% above the annual average of 25, per The Japan Times. Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways canceled flights in southern Japan, and organizers called off the 50th Okinawa Industrial Festival, which had expected hundreds of thousands of visitors.
Taiwan and mainland China prepare for weekend landfall
China’s National Meteorological Centre reported that Champi was expected to make landfall along the eastern coast of Taiwan around Oct. 24 as a strong typhoon, according to the South China Morning Post. Authorities in mainland China began planning evacuations and urging residents along the path to prepare for severe impacts.
Aviation data platform VariFlight indicated that potential airport disruptions could affect Wenzhou Longwan, Fuzhou Changle, Ningbo Lishe, Hangzhou Xiaoshan, Shanghai Hongqiao, Shanghai Pudong, and Xiamen Gaoqi, though carriers had not announced large-scale cancellations.
AccuWeather forecasts heavy rain and structural damage
AccuWeather senior meteorologist Jason Nicholls projected that Champi would deliver heavy rain and strong winds to parts of Taiwan and eastern China through the weekend, according to Yahoo. Heavy rain is forecast to impact Taiwan from Oct. 22 through Oct. 24, and east-central China from Oct. 23 through Oct. 25, with accumulations reaching up to 18 inches in northeastern Taiwan.
Wind gusts up to 120 mph could produce structural damage, prolonged power outages, and transportation delays across Taiwan and eastern China from Oct. 22 through Oct. 25, per AccuWeather forecasts. Forecasters cautioned that downpours risked triggering flooding and mudslides.