TAIPEI: Taiwan issued a land warning on Thursday ahead of the arrival of powerful Typhoon Champi and cancelled more than 100 flights, with the storm expected to brush past the island's northeastern coast and gradually weaken as it approaches.
At one point a super typhoon and one of the strongest storms in the Pacific this year, Champi weakened slightly on Thursday but was still packing gusts of more than 227kph near its centre, according to Taiwan's Central Weather Administration (CWA).
The storm was about 520km southeast of Taiwan's southern tip, the CWA said. Its projected track showed it would pass northeastern Taiwan, turn north towards the Chinese coast and eventually move into southern Japan.
The administration said the typhoon's radius had expanded slightly to 320km, large enough to cover most of Taiwan. Weather experts said its impact could last nearly two days.
While typhoons are more common during the summer months, they can also strike in autumn, bringing strong winds and torrential rain.
Mobile phone alerts warning of waves exceeding six metres were issued to coastal towns, while total rainfall of nearly one metre was expected in northern mountainous areas, including the hills near the capital, Taipei.
Champi was expected to pass closest to Taiwan late on Friday, off its northeastern coast, before heading north towards the waters off Shanghai.
Taiwan's transport ministry said 125 flights had been cancelled on Thursday, mostly domestic services, although the rail network was so far unaffected. The interior ministry said no evacuations had yet been reported.
Taiwan is generally well prepared for typhoons, which helps keep casualties low.
The typhoon is forecast to first pass over Japan's westernmost inhabited island, Yonaguni, in Okinawa Prefecture.
In Japan, major carriers Japan Airlines, ANA and Skymark have cancelled more than 100 flights, mostly domestic services, between Thursday and Sunday, disrupting travel for more than 11,000 passengers.
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