Thousands of schools and offices across almost all of Taiwan have been ordered closed as Typhoon Champi approaches the island, Focus Taiwan reported late on October 22.
Taitung County on the main island's southeast coast and the outlying Kinmen County to the west of the main island were the only jurisdictions that did not order a full closure.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) put a land warning in place for the main island on October 22 and said it could be widened to the Penghu and Matsu islands later that day. Forecasters expect the storm's centre to pass within 80 kilometres of Taiwan between late on October 23 and early on October 24, and have not ruled out a landfall.
By 8pm local time, authorities in Keelung, Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu City and County, Miaoli, Taichung, Changhua, Nantou, Yunlin, Chiayi City and County, Tainan, Kaohsiung, Yilan, Hualien, Pingtung and Lienchiang had declared the day off. Penghu will also close. Taitung ordered closures only on the outlying Lanyu and Green Islands, while Kinmen will keep normal hours.
At 5pm, the typhoon sat about 450 kilometres east of Eluanbi, the island's southernmost tip, and was tracking northwest at 18 kilometres per hour, according to CWA data. It was forecast to veer north-northwest. Peak sustained winds near the centre reached 48 metres per second. Winds of force seven or above on the Beaufort scale extended 320 kilometres from the centre, and those of force 10 or stronger reached 160 kilometres.
Wu Wan-hua, deputy director of the CWA's Weather Forecast Center, said the storm would slow down over the following two days and its path could become irregular as it neared Taiwan. She added that rain would pick up from the evening of October 22, peaking between October 23 and the morning of October 24.
Northern and northeastern Taiwan face widespread showers on October 23, with heavy to torrential downpours possible, mostly in mountainous terrain. Central and eastern areas can expect scattered showers and the south and southeast isolated ones, while the mountains of Taichung and Hualien could also see heavy rain, the agency said.
Widespread showers will persist in the north on October 24, according to the CWA, which expects the storm circle to clear Taiwan proper by that evening as it heads northeast towards Japan.