Typhoon Champi swept past Taiwan on Saturday, leaving one person dead and more than 500 injured as severe winds and torrential rain lashed the island. The storm downed trees, severed power lines, and disrupted travel before continuing its path northward toward the Chinese coast.
According to Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration (CWA), Champi was positioned about 150 kilometers, or 93 miles, east of Taiwan after glancing the island’s northeast coast in the early hours of Saturday. Although the storm previously reached super typhoon status as one of the most powerful storms in the Pacific this year, meteorologists reported that it is continuing to weaken. Even so, it maintained sustained gusts of around 126 kilometers per hour, approximately 78 miles per hour, near its center.
Taiwan’s fire department confirmed that the fatality involved a man who was swept away by high waves off the island of Liuqiu. The agency added that 527 injuries were recorded amid the heavy wind and torrential rain accompanying the severe weather.
The state utility Taipower reported that more than 167,000 households lost electricity at the height of the storm, though service has since been restored to the majority of affected homes. Transportation networks also experienced widespread disruptions, with the transport ministry noting that 242 flights were canceled on Saturday. While significant, the flight cancellations marked an improvement from Friday, when nearly 1,000 flights were grounded ahead of the storm’s arrival.
In the capital city of Taipei, squally rain showers moved intermittently through the area alongside downed trees. A broad swathe of northern and central Taiwan, including Taipei, maintained office and school closures for a second consecutive day on Saturday as communities began assessing the damage.
Taiwan maintains extensive preparedness measures for tropical cyclones, which help keep casualties relatively low during severe weather events. While typhoons occur most frequently during the summer months, they can occasionally strike the region well into the autumn season.
Forecast models indicate that Champi’s track is now steering the storm north toward the Chinese coast, with subsequent movement expected to carry it toward southern Japan.
