Super Typhoon Champi brushes Guam as a Category 4, missing a direct hit by about 10 miles

Full report

Southern Guam took the worst of it: roofing tin crumpled against homes, storm surge poured into the pavilions at the Inalahan Natural Pools, and an ironwood tree fell across Route 4. The Guam Power Authority said the grid "bent but did not collapse" and was still tallying outages. The Ugum Surface Water Treatment Plant shut down due to storm-driven turbidity, interrupting water service to southern villages.

Five Guam Department of Education shelters opened with a combined capacity of 1,964 people; Astumbo Elementary School (287 capacity) reached full occupancy. Guam sat at Condition of Readiness 1 during the closest approach; all typhoon warnings were cancelled at 4:50 p.m. ChST and an all-clear (COR 4) was declared at 6 p.m. Typhoon warnings were in effect for Guam and Rota, with tropical storm warnings for Tinian and Saipan.

The U.S. president approved a federal emergency declaration for Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, clearing FEMA to deploy personnel and resources. The Coast Guard set Port Heavy Weather Condition ZULU across Guam, Saipan, Tinian and Rota, halting port operations. The National Weather Service in Tiyan planned a damage survey of far southern Guam for Monday.

Champi is moving west-northwest into the Philippine Sea, with the Philippines, Taiwan and Japan monitoring its track. Forecasters say it could reach Category 5 strength within 24 to 48 hours, which would make it the world's seventh Category 5 storm of 2026 and a challenger to this year's strongest tropical cyclone title, currently held by Eastern Pacific Hurricane Polo (285 km/h sustained winds, 892 mb).

(Illustration: satellite image of a typhoon.)