Tropical Storm Champi is gathering strength in the western Pacific and could become one of the most powerful storms on the planet this year, forecasters say, as Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands brace for a possible direct hit this weekend.
Champi's current path and strength
Champi was upgraded from a tropical depression to a tropical storm on October 15 and sat roughly 820 to 895 miles east of Guam, moving west at about 12 mph with sustained winds near 40 mph (65 km/h), according to forecasters tracking the system. The storm is expected to reach typhoon strength on October 17, with Joint Typhoon Warning Center guidance showing winds near 90 knots (about 167 km/h) as it approaches the Marianas.
The forecast calls for the storm to pass close to Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands around Sunday, October 18. Tropical-storm-force winds could arrive as early as Saturday night, with the closest approach on Sunday before the storm moves away on Monday. Forecasters note that a direct landfall on Guam would be rare, given the island's small size.
After passing the Marianas, models suggest explosive intensification. One widely cited AI forecast gives Champi a 99% chance of becoming a super typhoon and a 33% chance of matching Super Typhoon Sinlaku as the strongest storm on Earth this year at 185 mph. Rapid intensification to Category 5 strength is possible as the storm crosses the warm waters of the Philippine Sea. Any landfall after that could occur anywhere from China to Taiwan or southern Japan.
Guam under typhoon and flood watches
Typhoon watches and flood watches are in effect for Guam, Rota, Tinian, and Saipan. Governor Lou Leon Guerrero placed Guam under Condition of Readiness 3 at 5:00 p.m. ChST on October 15 as island authorities began preparations. Storm-total rainfall is forecast at 152 to 305 millimeters (6 to 12 inches), raising the risk of flash flooding and landslides.
Champi, provisionally the 30th storm of an unusually active 2026 western Pacific typhoon season, formed on October 11 east of Micronesia. The name Champi was submitted by Laos and means a kind of flower. China's National Meteorological Centre expects the storm to climb through four intensity categories to super typhoon strength by Sunday.
Two monster storms at once
Champi is not alone. Hurricane Trudy is simultaneously churning in the eastern Pacific — a Category 1 hurricane sitting about 300 miles southwest of Acapulco with 75 mph winds, moving northwest at 9 mph. Trudy is expected to become a major hurricane by Friday, October 16, bringing 4 to 8 inches of rain to Mexico's Colima and Jalisco states, and could become the ninth Category 4 or stronger storm of the season in the eastern and central Pacific.
The twin threats come in what has been an exceptionally powerful El Niño year, with records already falling for Pacific storm intensity and duration — including Hurricane Polo, the longest-lived Category 5 cyclone ever observed in the Pacific.
The takeaway
Residents of Guam and the Northern Marianas face a tense weekend as Champi closes in, while Mexico watches Trudy's approach. With both basins producing monster storms simultaneously, 2026 is cementing its reputation as one of the most extreme Pacific storm seasons on record.
Music in this post's reel: Kevin MacLeod - Lightless Dawn (incompetech.com), licensed under CC BY 3.0
Sources: Fox Weather | The Watchers | The News Pakistan | Pogodnik