TAIPEI — Taiwan has issued a land warning as powerful Typhoon Champi barrels across the western Pacific toward the island, forcing the cancellation of more than 200 commercial flights and prompting the United States and Japan to adjust the operational schedule of their massive joint military exercises, Reuters reported on Thursday.
According to Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration (CWA), the severe typhoon is packing sustained maximum winds exceeding 227 kilometers per hour near its center. Positioned roughly 520 kilometers southeast of Taiwan’s southernmost tip, the storm is forecast to track northward, skirting the Chinese coastline before turning toward southwestern Japan.
With its gale radius expanding to approximately 320 kilometers, the storm system has brought the greater part of the island under alert. Meteorologists have warned of coastal storm surges reaching up to six meters in height and localized rainfall accumulations of up to one meter in mountainous terrain. Taiwan President Lai Ching-te urged the public to stay clear of coastal and mountainous zones and to take proactive safety precautions.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Transportation and Communications confirmed that at least 125 domestic flights were canceled on Thursday, though no mandatory mass evacuations had been reported as of late afternoon.
The tempest is also threatening outlying Japanese islands near Taiwan, with forecasters warning of severe impacts across Okinawa Prefecture, including the inhabited island of Yonaguni. Major Japanese carriers—including Japan Airlines, ANA, and Skymark Airlines—have grounded over 100 flights scheduled between Thursday and Sunday, disrupting travel itineraries for more than 11,000 passengers.
The inclement weather has also impacted defense operations in the area. The biennial “Keen Sword” military exercises—involving roughly 56,000 personnel from the U.S. and Japanese armed forces across southwestern Japanese islands—are being adjusted on a day-by-day basis in response to changing maritime and atmospheric conditions.
Source: Reuters