Super Typhoon Champi Forces Flight Cancellations as It Closes in on Okinawa and Taiwan

Super Typhoon Champi intensified to extraordinary strength as it approached Okinawa and Taiwan on 21–22 October 2026, reaching a central barometric pressure of 900 hPa and maximum sustained winds of 215 km/h, making it the strongest storm of Japan's 2026 season and the 30th named tropical cyclone of the year. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) classified it at the top of its five-tier intensity scale and warned that the Sakishima Islands of Okinawa Prefecture could be struck between Friday and Saturday, with the possibility of the system then curving toward Kyushu. The storm was also forecast to impact Taiwan before making any northern turn. Authorities in Okinawa issued evacuation guidance, and airlines began cancelling flights to and from Naha and other Okinawan airports, disrupting holiday and business travel across the region at the start of Japan's autumn tourist season. Ships were also warned of dangerously high seas. The typhoon had been tracking northwest from a position east of the Philippines, skirting the northern Philippine coast before curving northward. Meteorologists noted the unusually high number of named storms in the Western Pacific in 2026.