What Typhoon Champi Means for Travelers in Taiwan, Japan and Hong Kong

Typhoon Champi is already disrupting air travel across East Asia. Taiwan's transport ministry said 125 flights were canceled on Thursday, mostly domestic services, as the storm approached the island's northeastern coast, according to Reuters. The rail network was unaffected so far.

Airlines in Japan and Hong Kong have also scrapped or shifted flights. Taiwan has issued a land warning, and authorities expect the worst conditions on Friday and Saturday.

What it means for people with flights booked

In Taiwan, most of Thursday's cancellations were domestic. Ferry services have been suspended, and many tourist attractions have been closed, The Independent reported.

In Japan, Japan Airlines, ANA and Skymark canceled more than 100 flights between Thursday and Sunday, mostly domestic, according to Reuters. The cancellations disrupt travel for more than 11,000 passengers. The storm is forecast to pass over Yonaguni, Japan's westernmost inhabited island, in Okinawa Prefecture.

From Hong Kong, The Standard reported that HK Express will cancel six flights between Hong Kong and Taipei. Four other flights, to Taichung or Kaohsiung, will be postponed to Saturday. The airline said it will waive rebooking fees and fare differences for affected passengers if the new departure falls within two weeks before or after the original date. Passengers can also get a refund for the unused portion of their ticket without cancellation or refund fees.

Hong Kong Airlines had earlier canceled flights HX658 and HX659 between Hong Kong and Okinawa on Thursday. Greater Bay Airlines said its flights were operating normally but that individual services to Taipei and Okinawa may be adjusted as the storm gets closer. It advised passengers traveling in the next two days to check flight status on its website before leaving for the airport and said it will notify passengers by text or email.

What residents and travelers in Taiwan are being told

President Lai Ching-te urged people to prepare and avoid mountain and coastal areas. “A little more preparation means less risk,” he wrote on Facebook, according to Reuters.

Mobile phone alerts about waves exceeding six meters went to coastal towns. Rainfall approaching one meter is forecast for northern mountain areas, including hills near Taipei. Weather experts warned that the storm's effects could last nearly two days.

The Independent reported that authorities deployed extra water pumps in flood-prone areas and ordered checks of drainage systems and flood-control equipment. Taiwan's interior ministry said no evacuations had been reported.

How strong the storm is and where it is headed

Champi weakened slightly on Thursday but remains powerful. Taiwan's Central Weather Administration said gusts near the center exceeded 227 kmph, according to Reuters. The Independent, citing the U.S. National Weather Service, said sustained winds were nearly 185mph, the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane. Its headline cited 140mph winds, so wind figures differ between reports and agencies. The Independent also said the storm was expected to lose some strength through Thursday while remaining extremely powerful.

Reuters said the storm was about 520 km southeast of Taiwan's southern tip and expected to pass close to the northeastern coast late Friday before moving north toward the Chinese coast. The Independent, citing the weather administration, put it almost 250km southeast of Yilan County in the northeast. Both reports describe a track passing northeastern Taiwan and then turning north.

Reports differ on landfall. China's National Meteorological Centre expects Champi to come ashore on Taiwan's eastern coast around Saturday and then in China's Fujian province as a severe tropical storm. The Independent reported that the Philippines and Taiwan did not predict a landfall.

Other places in the storm's path

In the Philippines, where the storm is called Rosal, the weather agency PAGASA warned of waves up to 12m along the northern and eastern coasts of Batanes and 9m around the Babuyan Islands. The center was around 400km east of Basco, Batanes, on Thursday.

China issued a blue typhoon warning, the lowest level in its four-tier system. Even so, local authorities in eastern Zhejiang province drew up emergency evacuation plans for vulnerable communities, and eastern China is preparing for possible evacuations.

What happens next

Taiwan's forecaster Chang Cheng-Chuan said the warnings are expected to be lifted on Saturday afternoon, once the storm moves away from Taiwan toward Japan's Kyushu island. Japanese airlines' cancellations run through Sunday, and HK Express has pushed some Taiwan flights to Saturday. Airlines say further changes will be posted on their websites.

Around Prague, based on reporting by The Times of India, The Standard (HK), The Independent

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