Super Typhoon Champi, churning across the western Pacific, became one of the strongest storms on Earth in 2026 on Wednesday, tying April's Super Typhoon Sinlaku for the year's strongest 1-minute sustained winds at 185 mph — the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane, according to Yahoo.

The Joint Typhoon Warning Center classifies a super typhoon at 150 mph or more. UNILAD reports Champi is the seventh Category 5 storm the world has seen this year.

Reuters reports Taiwan's Central Weather Administration issued a land warning on Thursday, covering Yilan, Hualien, Taitung and Pingtung counties, with the storm about 520 km southeast of Taiwan's southern tip and packing gusts above 227 kph.

Around 125 flights were cancelled in Taiwan, mostly domestic, while President Lai Ching-te urged the public to prepare and avoid the mountains or coast. Coastal towns received mobile alerts warning of waves exceeding 6 metres, with nearly a metre of rain forecast in northern mountains.

The approaching storm is disrupting Keen Sword, the major US-Japan military exercise underway near Japanese islands close to Taiwan, involving about 56,000 Japanese and US personnel plus forces from five other countries.

Reuters reports the US military said training activities are being adjusted day-to-day for safety.

Japan Airlines, ANA and Skymark cancelled more than 100 flights through Sunday, disrupting over 11,000 passengers, and the typhoon is forecast to pass over Yonaguni, Japan's westernmost inhabited island.

According to ZNews via vietnam.vn, China's National Meteorological Center expects Champi to reach Taiwan's eastern coast around October 24 before a possible second landfall in Fujian, and Zhejiang activated an emergency response on October 21.

The province suspended 36 passenger ferry routes and halted 223 offshore construction projects, while Fujian ordered all fishing vessels to shelter by October 21.

AccuWeather's Jason Nicholls, cited by Yahoo, forecasts rainfall up to 18 inches and wind gusts up to 120 mph across Taiwan and eastern China through the weekend.

UNILAD reports sea surface temperatures in the western Pacific are around 30°C, slightly warmer than typical for the season, with deep moisture, calm winds and low wind shear fueling the storm's intensification.

Seoul Economic Daily reports Champi — the season's 30th typhoon, with central pressure of 905 hPa — shifted course after a high-pressure system weakened faster than expected, and is now forecast to turn northeast near Jeju around October 25 while weakening considerably.

The storm is also rippling the jet stream, with UNILAD noting possible unsettled weather in Ontario and Quebec next week.

Earlier in its track, FOX Weather reports Champi passed just 10 miles south of Guam after rapidly intensifying to 150 mph, triggering an Extreme Wind Warning for far southern Guam with catastrophic winds of 115 to 135 mph, plus typhoon warnings for Guam and Rota.

Governor Lou Leon Guerrero advised shelter-seekers to pack a 7-day supply of food and water, and US military facilities moved to Condition of Readiness 1. The storm later follows Typhoon Sinlaku among a parade of intense systems in an El Niño-enhanced Pacific.