Super Typhoon Champi, 2026's Strongest Storm, Threatens Japan, Taiwan and China

Super Typhoon Champi became the strongest tropical cyclone of 2026 on wind speed after the U.S. Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) recorded sustained winds of 296 km/h and a central pressure of 895 millibars on October 20, according to data reported by Brazilian outlet DGABC and tracked by the storm-monitoring site RainViewer. By October 21 at 00:00 GMT, RainViewer's tracker showed the storm had eased slightly to 287 km/h sustained winds with gusts to 330 km/h and a pressure of 902 mb, still at super typhoon strength.

The storm developed from a tropical depression on October 11, reached typhoon strength on October 16 and was upgraded to super typhoon status on October 17, per RainViewer's tracking timeline. It passed near Guam around October 18-19, causing damage there before intensifying further over the open Pacific, DGABC reported.

Why wind-speed figures differ by agency

Reported wind speeds for Champi vary sharply depending on which weather agency issued them. DGABC noted that while the JTWC measured 296 km/h, Taiwan's Central Weather Administration recorded about 209 km/h at the same time; the Taipei Times separately cited the Taiwanese agency's figure of 198 kph as of October 20 at 2 p.m. local time. These differences stem from different averaging methods — the JTWC uses a 1-minute sustained-wind standard, while Taiwan and Japan use a 10-minute standard, which typically yields lower numbers for the same storm.

Japan's meteorological reporting, relayed by Portal MIE citing broadcaster FNN, put Champi's central pressure at 935 hPa with sustained winds of 55 meters per second (about 198 km/h) and gusts of 75 m/s (270 km/h) as of October 20. Weathernews' English-language forecast for October 21 projected the storm reaching "violent strength," with a central pressure of 920 hPa, sustained winds of 105 knots and peak gusts of 150 knots (about 278 km/h).

Path toward Japan, Taiwan and China

According to Portal MIE's report based on Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) data, Champi was expected to pass south of Okinawa on October 22, approach the Sakishima Islands on October 23-24 with violent winds and heavy rain, and move into the East China Sea by October 25. Weathernews similarly forecast the storm passing near the Sakishima Islands around October 23-24 before approaching Taiwan.

Okinawa's Sakishima Islands faced very rough seas from October 21, with high waves expected around Okinawa's main island and the Daito Islands from October 22, Portal MIE reported, citing possible warnings for landslides, flooding and river overflow between October 23 and 24.

For Taiwan, the Taipei Times reported that a sea warning could be issued the night of October 21 and a land warning as early as October 22 night for northern Taiwan and Yilan and Hualien counties, depending on the storm's exact track. The Central Weather Administration expected Champi to pass closest to Taiwan between October 23 and 24, bringing heavy to extremely heavy rain to northern and eastern areas and waves off the east coast reaching up to 6 meters.

Newswav reported that forecasts for Taiwan shifted from an initial scenario of landfall on the island's eastern coast followed by a second landfall in China's Fujian province, to an updated track in which Champi could brush Taiwan's northeastern coast and turn toward waters southwest of Japan instead.

China activates typhoon emergency response

Eastern China has begun precautionary measures even before Champi's exact landfall point is confirmed. In Zhejiang province, authorities started evacuating vulnerable residents — including elderly people, pregnant women and people with disabilities — suspended 36 passenger ferry routes, halted 223 marine construction projects, closed coastal tourist attractions and ordered workers at offshore sites and fish farms to leave, according to the Newswav report. Zhejiang's typhoon emergency response has been activated, with authorities ready to suspend schools, businesses and public transit if conditions worsen.

In neighboring Fujian province, fishing vessels were ordered to return to port by October 21, with crews required to be ashore by October 22, the same report said. Six major airports — in Shanghai, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Fuzhou, Wenzhou and Xiamen — face possible disruption, and China's national weather authority issued a blue typhoon warning, the lowest of its four-tier alert system.

Is Champi the strongest storm of the year?

By maximum wind speed, Champi's JTWC-reported peak of 296 km/h surpasses every other tropical cyclone tracked worldwide in 2026, including Hurricane Polo, whose peak winds reached 285 km/h, according to data cited by The Weather Network. However, The Weather Network noted that Polo's central pressure of 892 mb was lower than Champi's 895 mb minimum, meaning Polo remains more intense by the pressure metric — a reminder that "strongest storm" rankings depend on which measurement is used.

What is still unknown

Forecasters had not confirmed Champi's exact landfall point for Taiwan or mainland China as of October 21, with Newswav noting the projected track had already shifted once, from a Taiwan-then-Fujian landfall scenario to a path brushing Taiwan's northeast coast before turning toward Japan. The storm's intensity was also fluctuating, having eased from its October 20 peak while remaining at super typhoon strength, per RainViewer's tracking data.