Typhoon Champi Strengthens to Category 4, Guam and Rota Reach Highest Alert

Typhoon Champi rapidly strengthened into a Category 4 storm as it closed in on the Mariana Islands, and Guam and Rota were placed at their highest storm-readiness level ahead of its arrival, the National Weather Service office in Tiyan, Guam, said in a Hurricane Local Statement issued Oct. 17, 2026. As of 09:00 UTC, the storm's center was about 140 miles east-southeast of Guam, moving west at 15 mph with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph, and it was forecast to pass just south of Guam as a super typhoon within the next 12 hours.

Guam entered Condition of Readiness 1 at 03:00 UTC, and Rota followed at 07:00 UTC, the statement said; Condition of Readiness 1 means destructive winds are considered imminent. Saipan and Tinian remained at Condition of Readiness 3.

Guam could see maximum sustained winds of 110 to 135 mph with gusts to 175 mph, the statement said, and 8 to 14 inches of rain was possible over the island over the course of the storm, especially if Champi makes landfall there.

A Typhoon Warning for Guam and Rota took effect Oct. 16, 2026, as Champi first approached the Marianas, and it continued as the storm intensified to Category 4.

A Flash Flood Warning took effect for Guam, the Hurricane Local Statement said — a new development since Champi's typhoon warning was first issued. The Typhoon Warning continues for Guam and Rota, and a Tropical Storm Warning and Typhoon Watch continue for Tinian and Saipan; a Flood Watch remains in effect for Rota, Tinian and Saipan.