Typhoon Champi, the 30th named storm of the 2026 Pacific season, has rapidly intensified while tracking west-northwest toward Guam and the Mariana Islands. South Korean and Taiwanese weather services are both monitoring the storm, but as of October 18 its forecast path does not point directly at the Korean Peninsula.
Where Champi is now
According to a Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) bulletin, Champi was centered near 13.1°N, 144.8°E at 03:00 UTC on October 18, moving northwest at 33 km/h with maximum sustained winds of 49 meters per second (about 176 km/h) and a central pressure of 935 hPa, placing it at category 4 strength.
The KMA forecasts further intensification to category 5, with maximum winds of 55 meters per second (about 198 km/h) and a central pressure of 915 hPa, by 15:00 on October 19. South Korean outlet news CJ, citing KMA data from October 16, reported the storm was about 890 km southeast of Guam at the time and was projected to reach a point roughly 800 km south-southeast of Okinawa, Japan, by October 21.
Taiwan's Central Weather Administration, cited by the Taipei Times, said on October 15 that Champi was expected to strengthen into "an intense typhoon" within the following week, with forecasters watching a Pacific high-pressure system that will determine whether the storm curves north past the Ryukyu Islands toward Okinawa and Taiwan.
Why Korea is seeing rough weather anyway
Separately from Champi, South Korean broadcaster SBS reported that a trough of low pressure would bring strong winds and heavy rain nationwide on October 18–19, with up to 80 millimeters of rain in central regions and up to 60 millimeters in South Jeolla province, including downpours of 20–30 millimeters per hour. The SBS report attributed the system to the trough, not to the typhoon.
On Jeju Island, financial daily Fnnews reported rain beginning at dawn on October 18 in mountainous areas and spreading island-wide by midday, with accumulated rainfall of 5–30 millimeters through the morning of October 19. Winds over Jeju's southern, eastern and western coastal waters were forecast at 9–14 meters per second, with wave heights reaching 1.5–3 meters on the southern and western coasts, dropping only slightly by October 19. The Fnnews report did not link these conditions to Champi.
The mt.co.kr report likewise noted that, as of October 16, Champi's trajectory beyond the middle of the following week remained uncertain, with the possibility that the storm could continue westward or shift eastward toward Japan; South Korea was mentioned only in reference to an earlier storm, Typhoon Jangmi, that had affected the country earlier in the season.
A record-setting season
News CJ and mt.co.kr both noted that Champi is the 30th named tropical cyclone of the 2026 Pacific typhoon season, the first time the basin has produced 30 or more storms in a single year since 2013.
Typhoon Champi: status as of October 18, 2026 bulletins| Metric | October 16 (news CJ/mt.co.kr) | October 18 (KMA bulletin) |
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| Position | ~890 km SE of Guam | 13.1°N, 144.8°E |
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| Max sustained winds | 27 m/s (~97 km/h), category 2; storm moving at 18 km/h | 49 m/s (~176 km/h), category 4 |
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| Central pressure | 985 hPa | 935 hPa |
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| Forecast peak | Category 4 (44–53 m/s) by Oct 19 | Category 5 (55 m/s, 915 hPa) by Oct 19, 15:00 |
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| Projected position | ~800 km SSE of Okinawa by Oct 21 | Track remains northwest, away from Korean Peninsula through Oct 23 |
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What is still unknown
Forecasters in both South Korea and Taiwan have stressed that Champi's path beyond the next several days depends on the behavior of a Pacific high-pressure system, which could send the storm further northwest, due west, or curve it northeast toward Japan. None of the sources reviewed describe a confirmed direct track toward the Korean Peninsula as of October 18.
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