[Source: Reuters]

Taiwan issued a land warning on Thursday ahead of the arrival of powerful Typhoon Champi and cancelled more than 100 flights, ​with the storm expected to brush past the island’s northeastern coast and gradually ‌weaken on approach.

At one point a super typhoon and one of the strongest storms in the Pacific this year, Champi weakened slightly on Thursday but was still packing gusts of more than 227 kph (141 mph) ​near its centre, according to Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration (CWA).

The storm is currently about 520 ​km (320 miles) southeast of Taiwan’s southern tip, the CWA said. The storm’s ⁠track shows it will pass northeastern Taiwan, turn north toward the Chinese coast and eventually ​move into southern Japan.

The administration said the typhoon’s radius expanded slightly to 320 km (199 miles), large ​enough to cover most of Taiwan, and weather experts said its impact could last nearly two days.

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te called for the public to get ready now for the typhoon, and avoid going to the ​mountains or the coast.
“A little more preparation means less risk,” he wrote on his Facebook ​page.

Mobile phone alerts warning of waves of more than 6 metres (20 feet) were issued to coastal towns, while total rainfall of nearly one metre (3 feet) was expected in northern mountain areas, including the hills near the capital Taipei.

Champi is expected to be at its closest to ​Taiwan late on Friday, ​off its northeastern ⁠coast, before heading north in the direction of the seas off Shanghai.

Taiwan’s transport ministry said 125 flights had been cancelled on Thursday, mostly domestic ​ones, though the rail network was so far unaffected. The interior ​ministry said ⁠no evacuations of residents had yet been reported.
Taiwan is generally very well prepared for typhoons, which keeps casualties low.