TAIPEI, October 23 2026, Taiwan has suspended work and classes across 20 of its 22 counties and cities as Typhoon Champi approaches, prompting widespread travel disruptions and heavy rain warnings.
Local broadcaster TVBS reported that airlines had cancelled domestic flights and 40 international flights as authorities prepared for the storm.
Kinmen County, an offshore island group near China’s Fujian coast, and most of Taitung County in southeastern Taiwan were excluded from the shutdown as they were expected to face less impact.
Typhoon Champi had weakened to a moderate typhoon and was forecast to pass closest to Taiwan at around 2 am on Saturday. However, the Central Weather Administration had not ruled out the possibility of landfall.
Authorities said the storm’s strongest effects were expected from Friday through Saturday morning, with conditions likely to improve by Saturday afternoon.
As of Thursday evening, Champi was located about 450 kilometres east of Eluanbi, Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving northwest at 18 kilometres per hour.
Heavy rain advisories were also issued for several areas, with rainfall expected to intensify from Thursday evening through Saturday morning.
-BERNAMA
