Typhoon Champi Weakens After Sweeping Past Taiwan, Leaving One Dead and 527 Injured

Typhoon Champi’s trajectory along Taiwan’s northeastern coast spared the island a direct landfall, but the system's outer bands still delivered enough force to paralyze public life and cause hundreds of casualties. The storm, which briefly ranked among the strongest Pacific cyclones of 2026, has now begun to weaken as it moves north toward the Chinese mainland.[1][2]

The storm’s passage left one person dead and 527 injured, according to Taiwan’s Central Emergency Operations Center. The sole fatality occurred on Thursday when heavy waves swept a man away from a beach below the Beauty Cave in Pingtung County’s Liuqiu Township, before the worst of the storm had even arrived.[2][4][5]

The casualty count climbed rapidly as the storm's outer bands lashed the island with torrential rain and sustained gusts reaching 126 kilometers per hour. Officials reported that scooter accidents, falls, and incidents involving flying debris accounted for the majority of the injuries as residents attempted to navigate the hazardous conditions.[2][4]

Emergency responders noted that the injured included at least two Vietnamese nationals and one Indonesian national. Authorities had previously evacuated 1,286 people from vulnerable areas across Taiwan to minimize the human toll, focusing on coastal zones and flood-prone valleys.[4][5]

Infrastructure and transport paralyzed

The high winds severed power lines across multiple municipalities, leaving up to 146,000 households without electricity at the storm's peak. State utility crews from Taipower worked through the night to restore service, reconnecting the vast majority of affected homes by Saturday morning.[6]

Transportation networks are slowly recovering after a near-total shutdown that severed the island's connections to the region. The transport ministry confirmed 242 flight cancellations on Saturday, a significant improvement from the nearly 1,000 domestic and international flights grounded the previous day.[1][7]

High-speed rail services along the island's western corridor operated on modified schedules, running at reduced speeds to ensure safety amid the high winds. Ferry services to outlying islands, including the popular tourist destination of Green Island, were completely suspended until the sea conditions improved.[3][7]

Local governments in northern and central Taiwan, including the capital Taipei, extended office and school closures for a second day. The streets remained largely empty as emergency crews worked to clear downed trees and debris from the squally rain showers that continued to sweep through the city.[1][3]

Financial markets also remained closed, halting trading on the Taiwan Stock Exchange. The two-day shutdown reflects the island's cautious approach to extreme weather, prioritizing public safety and keeping commuters off the roads over economic continuity during major cyclonic events.[3]

Mountain rescues and rainfall records

Inland, the storm triggered massive rainfall accumulations, driven by the interaction between the typhoon's circulation and Taiwan's Central Mountain Range. Forecasters at the Central Weather Administration predicted up to 90 centimeters of rain in the hardest-hit areas, with Yilan County alone recording more than 40 centimeters by Friday afternoon.[3]

The intense rainfall prompted widespread concern for hikers and rural communities isolated by the weather. The Central Emergency Operations Center confirmed that 1,577 people who had entered mountain areas and national parks were successfully accounted for, with most descending safely and six sheltering in high-altitude cabins.[4]

"From tonight through tomorrow morning conditions will be very windy and stormy everywhere," Central Weather Administration forecaster Ling Ping-yu warned during a briefing on Friday. He urged residents to remain indoors until the system fully cleared the region.[3]

The low death toll relative to the high injury count and extreme wind speeds demonstrates the effectiveness of the island's early warning systems. Taiwan's infrastructure is specifically engineered to withstand these events, utilizing strict building codes and mandatory evacuation protocols that keep casualties low even during super typhoons.[1][2]

Shifting focus to the mainland

Forecasters anticipate steady weakening as Champi moves over cooler waters in the East China Sea. The storm is currently tracking north and is expected to bring heavy rain to eastern China before eventually curving northeast toward southern Japan.[1][2]

Authorities in mainland China have already raised emergency response levels in coastal provinces, anticipating severe weather through the weekend. Maritime passenger routes have been suspended, and thousands of residents in vulnerable areas have been evacuated ahead of the storm's arrival.[1]

The Chinese Ministry of Emergency Management warned that provinces including Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Fujian could face torrential downpours. In the coastal city of Taizhou alone, officials relocated more than 16,000 people, including marine aquaculture workers and boat crews, to secure shelters.[1]

The system's transition from a super typhoon to a weaker, but still dangerous, storm highlights the volatility of the late-season Pacific typhoon calendar. Meteorologists note that while autumn typhoons are less common than summer storms, they can still inflict severe damage when interacting with seasonal weather fronts.[1]

As Taiwan begins its recovery and cleanup operations, the focus now shifts to the Chinese coast. The exact trajectory of Champi over the next 48 hours will determine the extent of the flooding and wind damage in the region's densely populated coastal cities, dictating the final toll of one of the year's most powerful storms.[1][2]