Typhoon Champi sea warning possible Wednesday

A sea warning for Typhoon Champi could be issued as early as Wednesday night, possibly followed by a land warning on Thursday night or Friday, as the storm approaches Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday.

The typhoon is expected to have its greatest impact on Taiwan on Friday and Saturday, bringing heavy rain to central and northern Taiwan and to Yilan and Hualien counties in the east, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said.

As of 2pm yesterday, Champi was about 2,470km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving westnorthwest at 20kph.

The projected path of Typhoon Champi as of 6am yesterday.

Photo courtesy of the Central Weather Administration

It had maximum sustained winds of 191kph and a storm radius of 200km, CWA data showed.

Forecasts suggest Champi would maintain its strength as it heads toward waters northeast of Taiwan, Liu said.

Some forecast models suggest Champi could make landfall in eastern Taiwan, but its track remains uncertain because the strength of the Pacific high-pressure system could affect its path, he said.

If the high-pressure system weakens sooner than expected, Champi could turn north before approaching Taiwan, Liu said.

If the system strengthens, the typhoon could take a more southerly track or pass through the Bashi Channel, between Taiwan and the Philippines, he said.

International forecast models continue to show divergent tracks, and tomorrow would be key in determining whether Champi turns north, Liu added.

Ahead of the typhoon, the weather would remain relatively stable today and tomorrow, with mostly cloudy to sunny skies across Taiwan, the CWA said.

Brief, isolated showers are possible along the Keelung coast, in northeastern and southeastern Taiwan, and on the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島), it said.