Champi is now a typhoon 225 miles from Guam, with a Flash Flood Warning over the island

Champi became a 100 mph typhoon 225 miles from Guam. Radar shows 1 to 2 inches fallen, and surf to 35 feet is forecast.

By the Weather Rock October 17, 2026, 7:19 a.m. · 6 min read

Umatac Bay, Guam — Umatac Bay on the southern coast of Guam, photographed on 4 December 2011. Photo: Daderot, Wikimedia Commons, CC0.

Key points

Champi is now a typhoon. At 1 p.m. ChST Saturday it was 225 miles east-southeast of Guam with 100 mph winds, a Category 2, moving west-northwest at 18 mph, according to NWS Tiyan.
Guam has a Flash Flood Warning until 3:30 a.m. ChST Sunday. Radar showed 1 to 2 inches had already fallen by 7:28 p.m. ChST Saturday.
The Typhoon Warning stays up for Guam and Rota. Coastal Flood and High Surf Warnings now cover all four islands. The Flood Watch rain totals went down from yesterday because the track shifted south.

Yesterday

On Friday afternoon Champi was still a tropical storm, 590 miles from Guam. The Weather Service in Tiyan had already put up a Typhoon Warning for Guam and Rota. Tinian and Saipan got a Tropical Storm Warning and a Typhoon Watch. The storm then closed the gap quickly. In Saturday afternoon's local statement, Champi was a typhoon about 225 miles out and still moving toward the islands at 18 mph. The statement also says it is "undergoing a period of rapid intensification."

The forecast track in that statement takes Champi just south of Guam as a Category 3 typhoon. The office says passage either south of the island or over it is possible on Sunday morning. It says the winds will turn dangerous soon after they begin.

Champi, NWS Tiyan local statement, 3:06 p.m. ChST Sat Oct 17
Position at 1 p.m. ChST	12.5N 148.0E
Distance	about 225 miles ESE of Guam
Motion	west-northwest (290 degrees) at 18 mph
Maximum winds	100 mph, Category 2
Forecast	just south of Guam as a Category 3, Sunday morning

*Source: NWS Tiyan GU Tropical Cyclone Local Statement, Typhoon Warning for Guam and Rota, Tropical Storm Warning and Typhoon Watch for Tinian and Saipan, sent 3:06 p.m. ChST Saturday.*

Today, officially

The rain got to Guam before the wind did. NWS Tiyan issued a Flash Flood Warning for the whole island at 7:28 p.m. ChST Saturday, after radar showed 1 to 2 inches had fallen. The warning says heavy rain will keep falling through the night. It runs until 3:30 a.m. ChST Sunday. It names 18 villages, including Dededo, Tamuning, Yigo, Hagatna Heights, Talofofo, Inarajan, Merizo and Umatac.

The Flood Watch for all four islands now carries lower totals than Friday's. Friday's watch gave Guam 12 to 20 inches. Saturday's watch, issued at 4:10 p.m. ChST, gives Guam 8 to 14 inches, Rota 5 to 8, and Tinian and Saipan 3 to 5. It gives its own reason: "an unexpected southward shift in track." The watch runs through Sunday afternoon.

The coast is a separate problem. A Coastal Flood Warning and a High Surf Warning took effect at 5 p.m. ChST Saturday and run to 4 a.m. ChST Monday. Breaking waves could reach 35 feet on Guam. The warning lists possible coastal inundation of 5 to 7 feet on Guam, 2 to 4 feet on Rota and 1 to 3 feet on Tinian and Saipan. It says how bad it gets on the western coasts of Guam and Rota depends on the final track. A pass south of Guam would mean less inundation, and a pass over the island would mean more.

On the water, the Typhoon Warning for Guam and Rota coastal waters calls for damaging winds tonight. After midnight they become destructive, with typhoon-force winds early Sunday. The Tinian and Saipan coastal waters have a Tropical Storm Warning, and typhoon conditions are possible there too.

The local statement says final preparations should be finished now. Close shutters and brace garage doors. If you are leaving, go early so you are not on the road when the wind and rain arrive. Do not ride out the storm in a metal-roof or container home. Check ahead whether your shelter takes pets. If you stay home, fill the bathtub with water for cleaning and flushing, not for drinking. Ready.gov keeps a general hurricane and typhoon checklist.

Product, NWS Tiyan GU	Area	Issued (ChST, Sat Oct 17)	Key numbers
Flash Flood Warning	Guam	7:28 p.m.	1 to 2 in fallen; until 3:30 a.m. Sun
Typhoon Warning	Guam, Rota	3:06 p.m.	100 mph, Cat 2, forecast Cat 3
Tropical Storm Warning, Typhoon Watch	Tinian, Saipan	3:06 p.m.	continues
Typhoon Warning, marine	Guam and Rota coastal waters	3:37 p.m.	typhoon force early Sunday
Tropical Storm Warning, marine	Tinian and Saipan coastal waters	3:37 p.m.	34 to 63 kt, typhoon possible
Coastal Flood and High Surf Warnings	Guam, Rota, Tinian, Saipan	4:31 p.m.	surf to 35 ft Guam, 20 to 25 Rota, 15 to 20 Tinian and Saipan; inundation 5 to 7 ft Guam
Flood Watch	Guam, Rota, Tinian, Saipan	4:10 p.m.	Guam 8 to 14 in, Rota 5 to 8, Tinian and Saipan 3 to 5

*All figures are as each product states them. ChST is UTC+10.*

This is a morning summary, not emergency information. For live warnings see weather.gov and your local officials. NWS Guam: https://www.weather.gov/gum/

The rock's live forecast for the places in this story