Typhoon Champi is forecast to begin turning northward on Thursday, moving away from Taiwan, but its impact on the nation is expected to be most pronounced on Friday and Saturday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today.
Based on the typhoon's projected path, the CWA could issue a sea warning late tomorrow night or on Thursday morning, CWA forecaster Chao Hung (趙竑) said, adding that a land warning could also be issued on Thursday night.
As of 8am today, Champi was about 1,680km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost tip, moving west-northwest at 25kph, CWA data showed.
Photo Courtesy of the Central Weather Administration via CNA
The typhoon had maximum sustained winds of 198kph, with gusts reaching 245kph, and a storm radius of 250km, the data showed.
Champi remained an intense typhoon and was expected to reach peak strength today or tomorrow, Chao said.
Although the storm was likely to weaken as it approached Taiwan, its effects in terms of wind and rain were expected to be strongest on Friday and Saturday, Chao added.
Rain is expected across Taiwan on Friday and Saturday, with heavy or extremely heavy rain possible in the north, as well as in Yilan and Hualien counties in the east, Chao added.
The typhoon is expected to move away from Taiwan on Sunday or Monday next week, with rain likely to be largely confined to Taoyuan and areas north of the city, as well as eastern Taiwan, he said.
Unseasonably warm temperatures of 31°C to 34°C today are forecast to give way to highs of 23°C to 25°C in the north and 28°C in central and southern parts of the country tomorrow before rebounding on Sunday, Chao said.
Typhoon Champi is forecast to turn northward earlier than previously expected, sparing Taiwan a direct hit but still bringing heavy rain to the north of the country on Friday and Saturday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Typhoon Champi had strengthened and increased in size over the past 12 hours, and as of yesterday afternoon, was packing sustained winds of 198kph near its center, CWA forecaster Cheng Chieh-jen (鄭傑仁) said. However, due to the weakening of a Pacific high-pressure system the storm is now expected to turn northward earlier than initially forecast, likely around Japan’s Ishigaki Island, Cheng said. As Champi brushes
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