TAIPEI — Typhoon Champi brushed past Taiwan’s northeastern coastline early Saturday, leaving at least one person dead and more than 500 injured as severe winds downed trees, severed power lines, and disrupted travel.
The storm, which had reached Category 5 super typhoon intensity earlier in the week as one of the Pacific's most powerful cyclones this year, has since weakened. According to Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration (CWA), Champi was positioned about 170 kilometers northeast of Taiwan on Saturday morning, maintaining maximum wind gusts near 126 km/h near its center as it tracked northward toward the eastern coast of China.
Unusual trajectory and coastal impact
Meteorologists reported an erratic path near Taiwan’s Yilan County, where the storm’s center turned southward around midnight, hugged the coastline, and executed a rare offshore loop before veering north. Peak coastal wind gusts reached up to 227 km/h, ripping off roofing materials and uprooting vegetation.
Taiwan’s National Fire Agency confirmed one fatality—a man swept away by high waves off Liuqiu Island—and at least 527 reported injuries caused by flying debris and extreme weather conditions.
Utility operator Taipower reported that more than 288,000 households lost power during the height of the storm, though emergency crews restored electricity to the vast majority of affected areas by Saturday afternoon. Flight disruptions eased compared to Friday's near-1,000 cancellations, though more than 250 domestic and international flights were grounded. Government offices and schools across Taipei and several northern and central municipalities remained closed for a second consecutive day as a precaution.
Regional response and forecast track
Champi’s projected path takes it northward along China’s eastern sea border toward southern Japan, though forecasters do not expect a direct mainland landfall in China.
In response to approaching high winds and heavy sea swells, mainland Chinese emergency officials deployed disaster response teams to Zhejiang province. Local authorities in Taizhou recalled more than 3,800 fishing vessels to port, evacuated over 2,000 visitors from offshore islands, and suspended ferry operations and maritime construction projects through Sunday.
