Typhoon Champi bypassed a direct landfall on Taiwan over the weekend of October 22 to 25, 2026, yet delivered severe atmospheric and oceanic stress that left one person dead, hundreds injured, and over 350,000 electricity customers facing outages. As emergency operations scale down, agricultural losses mount and infrastructure repairs continue across multiple counties.
Agricultural Losses Reach NT$193.32 Million
- Agricultural and private facility losses reached NT$193.32 million by late October 25, with Yunlin and Miaoli bearing the heaviest impact.
- Taipower worked through extensive grid repairs after peak outages affected more than 350,000 customers during the height of the storm.
- The Joint Typhoon Warning Center tracked Champi shifting northeast over the East China Sea toward southern Kyushu by October 26.
Agricultural Toll and Grid Recovery Across Counties
The Ministry of Agriculture’s assessment released at 17:00 LT on October 25 put agricultural and related private-facility losses at NT$193.32 million, climbing from NT$151.42 million earlier that morning. Affected cropland expanded to 3,205 hectares, equivalent to 7,920 acres, with 767 hectares registering complete production loss. Yunlin accounted for approximately 65 percent of the preliminary national loss, followed by Miaoli at 13 percent, according to the ministry. Garlic remained the most heavily affected crop by value, followed by peanuts, onions, sweet corn, and citrus.
Infrastructure repairs ran parallel to agricultural assessments as utility crews tackled widespread grid failures. More than 350,000 electricity customers experienced outages during the storm. In an October 25 morning update reported by United Daily News, New Taipei Mayor Hou Yu-ih stated that 4,085 customers in the city still needed power restored, primarily along the northeast coast and northern shoreline. Taipower’s Yilan branch subsequently announced it had restored electricity to all affected residential customers in its service area by 16:00 LT on October 25, after more than 30,000 customers there lost power.
| Metric / Region | Recorded Figure | Source / Context |
|---|---|---|
| Agricultural Losses | NT$193.32 million | Ministry of Agriculture (October 25) |
| Affected Cropland | 3,205 ha (7,920 acres) | Ministry of Agriculture (October 25) |
| Peak Power Outages | > 350,000 customers | CEOC / Taipower records |
| Remaining Outages (New Taipei) | 4,085 customers | Mayor Hou Yu-ih update (October 25) |
Storm Causes One Death and Thousands of Evacuations
The sole fatality attributed to the storm happened in Pingtung County’s Liuqiu Township on October 22, when a beachgoer was swept away by strong waves, as verified by the Central Emergency Operations Center (CEOC). At its 21:00 LT briefing on October 24, the CEOC reported that 508 of the injured individuals had been discharged from medical care, with the majority of reported injuries consisting of minor cuts and bruises. Evacuations spanned 12 cities and counties, including 1,649 people in New Taipei and 1,512 in Hsinchu County, alongside 140 residents moved from areas exposed to a landslide-dammed lake along Wanli Creek in Hualien County.
Powerful waves toppled a 250-ton crane at an eastern port on Friday as Champi raged into the weekend. Outlying islands experienced severe impacts; several homes on Green Island flooded after being hit by surging waves. Green Island Township Head Hsieh Hsien-yu emphasized the tension between coastal scenery and resident safety, noting that property protection must take precedence over scenic views. In Hualien, local clean-up efforts faced labor shortages, prompting Minqin Village Chief Li Hsin-shun to request military assistance for debris removal.
Meteorological instruments captured historic wave heights and wind speeds during the event. Wave heights reached 10.6 meters at Lanyu, 9.9 meters at Longdong, and 9.4 meters at Pengjiayu, with the Central Weather Administration (CWA) confirming that the Lanyu and Pengjiayu observations were the highest since those stations began operating. Force-17 gusts were measured by automatic weather stations located at New Taipei’s Sandiao Cape, Taipei’s Datunshan, and Yilan’s Taoyuangu, while roughly 87 townships experienced gales reaching force 10 or higher.
CWA Ends Warnings as Champi Moves Northeast
The CWA ended its land warning at 14:30 LT on October 24 and its sea warning at 20:30 LT. Although the storm passed close to Nanfang’ao in Yilan County, the CWA determined that its center did not make landfall. The central emergency operations center stood down following its October 24 evening briefing, transferring recovery operations back to individual ministries and local authorities.
Farther northeast, Champi persisted as a tropical storm over the East China Sea. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) positioned the system’s center at coordinates 30.1°N, 125.5°E in Warning 44 published on October 25 at 09:00 UTC, documenting peak one-minute sustained winds of 83 km/h alongside 102 km/h gusts. Satellite imagery revealed a fully exposed low-level circulation with minimal thunderstorm activity. Dry air, moderate wind shear, and sea-surface temperatures of 25 to 26°C created unfavorable conditions for renewed intensification, prompting forecasters to project a transition into an extratropical system near southern Kyushu by October 26.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice.
