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Typhoon Champi Cancels 200+ Taiwan Flights, Closes Schools

By Drooid · Oct 22, 2026, 10:31 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Taiwan Issues Warning

Taiwan issued a land warning as Typhoon Champi approached, prompting school closures and flight cancellations.
The Taiwan Civil Aviation Administration cancelled over 200 flights, including 125 domestic services, on October 22.
Zhejiang and Fujian provinces activated emergency plans, ordered fishing boats to port and suspended ferries.
The storm forced changes to the U.S.–Japan “Keen Sword” exercise involving about 56,000 personnel.

Summary

CWA Launches Jet

Central Weather Administration conducted an Astra jet observation flight Thursday morning.
Mission partnered with National Taiwan University and Aerospace Development Corp., launching from Taichung airport at 5 a.m.
The jet released dropsondes that measured temperature, pressure, humidity, wind direction and speed.
Dropsonde data were sent via satellite to the CWA, fed into models, and helped fill oceanic gaps.
Since 2003, Taiwan has completed 92 such flights, improving typhoon forecast accuracy.

History

Historical Context

Typhoon Morakot struck Taiwan in August 2009, killing 755 people and causing about NT$110 billion (US$3.3 billion) in damage, the island’s deadliest storm on record. The disaster prompted stricter disaster protocols and upgrades to the Central Weather Bureau’s monitoring. Today the Civil Aviation Administration has cancelled over 200 flights and the CWB conducts Astra dropsonde missions to curb future losses.

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Taiwan Issues Warning

Taiwan issued a land warning as Typhoon Champi approached, prompting school closures and flight cancellations.
The Taiwan Civil Aviation Administration cancelled over 200 flights, including 125 domestic services, on October 22.
Zhejiang and Fujian provinces activated emergency plans, ordered fishing boats to port and suspended ferries.
The storm forced changes to the U.S.–Japan “Keen Sword” exercise involving about 56,000 personnel.

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