Typhoon Champi to turn away from Taiwan, will still bring heavy rain

Typhoon Champi will turn northward earlier than previously forecast, sparing Taiwan a direct hit but still bringing heavy rain to the north of the country on Friday and Saturday, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA).

CWA forecaster Cheng Chieh-jen (鄭傑仁) said Typhoon Champi had strengthened and increased in size over the past 12 hours, and as of yesterday afternoon was packing sustained winds of 198 kilometers per hour near its center.

Due to the weakening of a Pacific high-pressure system, however, the storm is now expected to turn northward earlier than initially forecast, likely around Japan’s Ishigaki Island, Cheng said.

A satellite image of Typhoon Champi southeast of Taiwan at 9pm yesterday.

Photo: Central Weather Administration

As Champi brushes past northeastern Taiwan, it will likely be a strong "moderate" typhoon or weak "intense" typhoon per the CWA’s classification system, which defines the latter as having sustained winds above 184 kph, he said.

Based on current forecasts, the CWA could issue a sea warning on Wednesday night or Thursday at the earliest, and a land warning on Thursday evening or Friday, he said.

The warning will likely apply to northern and eastern Taiwan, with the north and Yilan, in particular, facing possible heavy or extremely heavy rain on Friday and Saturday, he added.

As the typhoon approaches on Thursday, there will continue to be scattered rain showers in Yilan and northern Taiwan. Those areas could see heavy or extremely heavy rain on Friday and Saturday, while scattered showers are forecast for other regions, Cheng said.

As Typhoon Champi weakens and moves away from Taiwan on Sunday, cloudy to clear weather conditions will prevail in most regions, with the exception of lingering rain showers in the east and on the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) in the south, Cheng said.