Taiwan shut schools and offices and grounded 931 flights as Typhoon Champi swept past the island. The transport ministry said all 262 domestic flights and 669 international flights were cancelled. High-speed rail services on the western coast kept running.
Champi peaked at 298 kilometres per hour earlier in the week and weakened to 155 km/h as it approached from the southwest. Its centre stayed offshore, brushing the northeastern tip before turning north toward Japan's southwestern islands.
A storm wider than the island
The typhoon's radius of about 320 kilometres was large enough to cover most of Taiwan. The Central Weather Administration warned residents in coastal areas to stay away from outdoor activity and to watch for falling objects. In the capital, Taipei saw only light showers and gusts, and the metro stayed open.
One person was killed on Thursday after being swept away by waves on Liuqiu, a small island off the southeastern coast. Ninety-four others were injured. The government said more than 2,600 people were evacuated from vulnerable mountain communities, where heavy rain raises the risk of landslides.
Japan next
Forecasters expected the storm's main effects on Taiwan to last through Saturday, with landfall in southern Japan on Monday. In southwestern Japan, Champi had already injured one person, cancelled flights and knocked out power.
The storm adds to a costly year for the region. Heavy rains in Thailand killed 23 people and disrupted an airport, while a flash flood from the Budhi Gandaki river forced villages to evacuate in northern Nepal. A Tibet earthquake killed at least 16.
Warmer water, stronger storms
Typhoons draw energy from warm surface water, and Pacific temperatures have been at record levels. The World Meteorological Organization has said the current El Nino pattern is breaking warming records in the Pacific and points to more extreme weather ahead. That does not mean every storm gets stronger, but it raises the ceiling on the strongest ones.
For Taiwan, the immediate task is cleanup and restoring transport. For insurers and supply chains, the lesson is familiar: a storm that misses the coast can still close an island's airspace for a day.