A brewing Pacific storm could become one of the planet’s strongest this year: forecasters warned Thursday that Super Typhoon Champi is taking shape east of Guam, with the system expected to explode in strength over the coming days. Champi strengthened from a tropical depression Thursday and was located about 895 miles east of the U.S. territory, according to the FOX Forecast Center.
Champi is forecast to pass close to Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands on Sunday as the equivalent of a Category 2 hurricane, before continuing to intensify over open water. Typhoon watches were issued for both territories early Thursday. A direct Guam landfall would be rare given the island’s small size, forecasters noted.
From there the typhoon will continue to intensify, the FOX Forecast Center said — and the models are startling. Google’s DeepMind forecasting system gives the storm a 99 percent chance of becoming a super typhoon and a 33 percent chance of matching the strongest storm recorded anywhere on Earth this year, with sustained winds of 185 mph.
Guam’s small size usually spares it from direct strikes, but the island’s position in the western Pacific puts it squarely in the path of storms spinning up in the warm waters to the east. Officials have urged residents not to assume the coming storm will miss.
Super Typhoon Champi’s Path Toward Guam
Residents of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands are preparing for the arrival of Super Typhoon Champi this weekend. Officials issued typhoon watches early Thursday, urging residents to secure property and review emergency plans ahead of Sunday’s close pass.
The FOX Forecast Center noted that Super Typhoon Champi’s development has been remarkably fast, jumping from a tropical depression to a tropical storm in a single day — a sign of how much energy the warm Pacific is feeding the system.
Forecasters expect Champi to reach the equivalent of Category 2 hurricane strength as it nears the islands, then keep strengthening as it moves west. The system’s forecast track keeps the most violent winds offshore, but even a near miss could bring damaging gusts, heavy rain, and dangerous surf to Guam.
How Strong Could Super Typhoon Champi Get?
If the most aggressive models verify, Super Typhoon Champi could tie the benchmark set by this year’s strongest storm, with sustained winds reaching 185 mph. That would place it among the most intense tropical cyclones recorded in 2026 in any ocean basin.
A Record Pacific Season Behind Super Typhoon Champi
Champi is the latest monster in a record-breaking Pacific hurricane season. In the eastern and central Pacific, the accumulated cyclone energy — a measure of storms’ combined strength and duration — has already broken the record set in 2018, supercharged by a powerful El Nino, researchers said.
Colorado State University researcher Phil Klotzbach said the season has been relentless since September: nearly everything that forms lasts a long time and grows powerful. El Nino weakens the high-altitude winds that normally tear storms apart, effectively giving Pacific systems a tailwind. Meanwhile, Hurricane Trudy, which formed Thursday in the eastern Pacific, is targeting Mexico and could become the ninth Category 4 or stronger storm of the season there.
In the Atlantic, by contrast, the same El Nino has suppressed activity, with accumulated cyclone energy running at less than 18 percent of normal for this time of year — a stark contrast to the Pacific’s record pace.
For Guam, the immediate concern is the weekend: whether Super Typhoon Champi’s forecast holds and how close its core comes to the island. Emergency officials say residents should treat the typhoon watches seriously and prepare for the possibility of a rare direct hit.
Updates will follow as Super Typhoon Champi develops — a storm that may yet define the 2026 Pacific season. Forecasters will refine the track in coming days, but the message is already clear: the Pacific’s monster season is not done.