Taiwan Suddenly 'Shuts Down', Cancels All Flights

Taiwan shut down almost all of its territory on Friday (23 October 2026) as it braced for Super Typhoon Champi, which is expected to bring strong winds and heavy rain.

Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration (CWA) said Champi was a super typhoon and one of the strongest storms in the Pacific this year. It could bring gusts of around 191 kph (119 mph).

“The storm was about 330 km (205 miles) east of the southern tip of Taiwan,” the CWA said, according to Reuters.

“The forecast track shows the storm passing north-east of Taiwan, turning north towards the coast of China and eventually moving towards southern Japan,” it added.

The government said the storm had a radius of about 320 km, large enough to cover most of Taiwan. Weather experts said its effects could last for almost two days.

Taiwan’s Ministry of Transportation said all 262 domestic flights were cancelled on Friday. More than 350 international flights were also cancelled.

As of the time of reporting, heavy rain was falling in the capital, Taipei, but public transport, including the metro, was operating as usual, albeit with reduced services. Taiwan is generally well prepared for typhoons, which helps keep the death toll low.

Although typhoons occur more frequently in summer, they can also strike in autumn. The storm was expected to pass first over Yonaguni, Japan’s westernmost inhabited island, in Okinawa Prefecture.