A monster storm is tearing across the Pacific — and now hundreds of flights have been canceled as authorities brace for what could be a dangerous landfall.
Enormous waves
According to reports, Super Typhoon Champi has intensified into a Category 5-equivalent storm, with winds reaching up to 185 mph, making it the strongest storm on Earth so far this year by wind speed.
The typhoon has also churned up enormous waves, with significant wave heights near the storm’s center reaching 68 feet — meaning the average height of the highest one-third of waves was around that mark.
And its next move has people watching closely.
Champi is currently tracking west-northwest across the Philippine Sea after passing near Guam, with Taiwan now directly in the storm’s path.
Forecasters are warning of destructive winds, torrential rain, dangerous waves and potentially serious flooding. The storm could bring up to 35 inches of rain to mountainous areas of northern and northeastern Taiwan between Thursday and Saturday, while coastal areas could face waves topping 20 feet.
How it could effect North America
While Super Typhoon Champi is not headed for the U.S. mainland, meteorologists are watching the storm for another reason.
A typhoon this powerful can interact with the jet stream, potentially influencing weather patterns thousands of miles away.
As Champi moves toward Japan and eventually weakens, the energy and moisture associated with the system could help reshape the atmospheric pattern farther downstream.
Forecasters are already watching for possible changes across parts of North America. The Weather Network says Champi’s track could play a role in the weather pattern across Ontario and Quebec later this month and into early November.
100 flights have already been canceled
As for now, Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration has issued both sea and land warnings.
More than 100 flights have already been canceled ahead of the storm, with reports putting the number at around 125, most of them domestic. Residents in vulnerable coastal areas have also received emergency alerts on their phones.
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te has urged people to prepare and stay away from mountainous and coastal areas.
“A little more preparation means less risk,” he said in a Facebook post.
Authorities are taking no chances.
Ferry services have been suspended, tourist attractions have closed, and extra water pumps have been deployed in areas particularly vulnerable to flooding.
Effects of El Niño
After crossing Taiwan, Champi is expected to continue north toward China before eventually tracking toward Japan’s southern islands. Forecasts indicate the storm should weaken as it moves farther north.
But Champi is also drawing attention for another reason.
Champi’s rapid intensification comes as a strong El Niño event is changing weather patterns across the Pacific. The climate pattern can mean fewer tropical storms in the Atlantic while creating more favorable conditions for powerful systems in parts of the Pacific, where warmer ocean water can give storms extra fuel.
But the typhoon is only part of the bigger picture.
The United Nations warned Wednesday that the current El Niño event is becoming unusually strong and urged countries to prepare for potentially severe weather impacts.
The event is expected to reach its peak in December, but its effects could continue well into 2027 and beyond.
El Niño is a naturally occurring climate pattern that temporarily warms large areas of the tropical Pacific. That shift in ocean temperatures can influence weather around the world, increasing the risk of drought in some regions and flooding in others.
Scientists are also concerned that the unusually warm conditions could add to the effects of human-caused climate change, making an already unpredictable weather pattern even more difficult to deal with.
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