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Catástrofes · Champi aftermathTema em acompanhamento · reportagem 2 de 2

Champi’s warnings end, but flooded-road risks and dangerous seas remain

A new northern Guam flood advisory and continuing surf and boating hazards outlast Champi’s cyclone warnings, while schools and utilities assess the aftermath.

Escrito 6 min de leitura · 275 fontes

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O que mudou desde a nossa última reportagem

31 horas depois

Antes

140-mph Champi passes closest to Guam. The emergency is not over.

O que noticiámos

  • Radar indicated northern-eyewall extreme winds moving ashore from Talofofo southward.
  • The latest advisory places closest approach very near Guam’s southern point.

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A new northern Guam flood advisory and continuing surf and boating hazards outlast Champi’s cyclone warnings, while schools and utilities assess the aftermath.

Drivers in northern Guam still need to turn back at flooded roads, and swimmers across four Mariana Islands still face dangerous surf—even though Champi’s cyclone warnings have ended. A new flood advisory issued Monday, October 19, put northern Guam communities at risk from heavy rain hours after the broader regional flood watch was cancelled. The storm’s departure has brought relief, but not safety everywhere.⁠20⁠3

At 12:58 p.m. Chamorro Standard Time Monday, the reporting cutoff for this account, that local flood advisory remained within its stated period, alongside surf, rip-current and small-craft alerts. The National Weather Service had cancelled the last Typhoon Warnings for Guam and Rota at 5:51 p.m. Sunday, October 18, explicitly ending tropical-cyclone watches and warnings throughout the Marianas and surrounding waters. Those cancellations did not end the separate local hazards.⁠20⁠260

1:15 p.m.Scheduled northern Guam flood advisory endpoint, Monday 20
4 p.m.Scheduled surf and rip-current alert endpoint, Monday 20
5 p.m.Scheduled small-craft advisory endpoint, Monday 20

All three times are Chamorro Standard Time. They are scheduled product endpoints, not promises that a road, reef or stretch of coastal water becomes safe at that minute.

A local flood threat returns

The northern Guam advisory, issued at 12:13 p.m., reported a radar-based estimate of 1.5 to 3 inches of rain already fallen in its area, with another 0.5 to 1.5 inches expected. These are local advisory-area amounts—not an island-wide gauge total or Champi’s full-storm rainfall. The additional rain remained a forecast.⁠20

The advisory named Dededo, Tamuning, Yigo, Mangilao, Barrigada, Andersen Air Force Base and Mongmong-Toto-Maite. Urban areas and small streams faced flooding, with minor flooding expected in low-lying places and areas with poor drainage. The practical instruction was unambiguous: do not attempt to drive through flooded roads.⁠20

That warning followed a genuine regional improvement. At 6:55 a.m., NWS forecasters said radar and satellite imagery showed Champi’s outer rainbands withdrawing, and cancelled the broader flood watch. The later northern Guam advisory does not contradict that assessment: it concerns a more localized threat at a later time. Rain can ease across a region while still falling hard enough in one part of it to cause trouble.⁠3⁠20

The sea needs its own clearance

Along exposed reefs, Monday’s forecast called for breaking waves of 9 to 11 feet, down from the previous evening’s 10 to 14 feet. The High Surf Advisory covered south- and west-facing reefs of Guam and Rota and south-facing reefs of Tinian and Saipan. High rip-current risk also covered the south and east reefs of Tinian and Saipan, as well as the south and west reefs of Guam and Rota. These were forecast surf conditions, not measurements of individual waves.⁠20⁠264

Rip currents can sweep even strong swimmers offshore, and localized beach erosion remained possible. NWS advice for anyone caught in a current was to relax and float rather than fight it, swim parallel to the shoreline if able to escape, and call or wave for help if unable. Guam’s official notice announcing the return to normal readiness retained this instruction:⁠20⁠82

STAY OUT OF THE WATER.

Guam Homeland Security 82

Boating restrictions also survived a higher-level warning’s cancellation. The Hazardous Seas Warning ended, but a Small Craft Advisory continued across all four islands’ coastal waters. Guam and Rota had forecast seas of 10 to 12 feet and southeast winds of 15 to 20 knots; Tinian and Saipan had seas of 9 to 11 feet and winds of 10 to 20 knots. Both areas could see frequent gusts to 30 knots. Inexperienced mariners, especially those operating smaller vessels, were advised to avoid boating in those conditions.⁠20

What changed after our earlier report

In our October 17 broadcast, aired at 20:45 UTC—early October 18 on Guam—we reported Champi at 140 mph, with Guam and Rota still under Typhoon Warnings. Super-typhoon intensity was not yet confirmed in that account. Subsequent NWS bulletins established the upgrade to 150 mph and, later Sunday, the cancellation of the remaining cyclone warnings. Those were successive stages of the storm, not competing descriptions of the same moment.⁠1⁠260

The later bulletins also placed the eye’s closest passage about 10 miles south of Guam’s southern tip around 4:26 a.m. Sunday. That establishes a very close offshore passage, not a center landfall. The midday account described an eye around five miles wide. Champi’s maximum sustained wind within the storm was not the wind experienced at every village or at the airport.⁠1⁠8

Guam International Airport had occasional gusts up to 80 mph Sunday morning. By the afternoon warning, airport observations showed sustained winds of 25 to 30 mph with frequent gusts up to 60 mph. Rota experienced verified tropical-storm conditions that morning; Saipan later had reported gusts up to 35 mph. Tinian and Saipan’s Tropical Storm Warnings and Typhoon Watches ended at midday, while Guam and Rota remained warned until evening. The islands did not experience identical conditions or recover on one common clock.⁠1⁠4⁠5⁠7

Offshore, NWS reported destructive typhoon-force winds occurring in western Guam waters during Sunday’s warning period. Forecast significant seas could reach 24 feet near Guam and 20 feet near Rota. Those were potential offshore sea heights, not observed beach breakers or verified storm maxima. Later buoy observations of 9- to 12-foot combined seas came from the far northern Marianas—a different location that cannot settle how high seas reached near Guam.⁠6⁠3

By Monday’s 7 a.m. position, Champi was about 345 miles west of Guam, moving west-northwest at 14 mph with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph. Its general course and speed were forecast to continue through Tuesday. Renewed super-typhoon strength later Monday remained a forecast, not an established outcome. The next public advisory was scheduled for 2 p.m. local time.⁠261

Recovery is not yet restoration

Governor Lourdes Leon Guerrero returned Guam to Condition of Readiness 4 at 6 p.m. Sunday, ending the earlier shelter posture. The Pacific Daily News reported that an initial drive-through assessment found no significant ocean inundation, collapsed buildings, flooded-out or impassable roads, or mudslides along the assessment. That was reassuring early reconnaissance, not a completed island-wide damage inventory.⁠263

Contemporary Pacific Daily News reporting also described fallen trees and damaged roofs in southern Guam. Those localized reports were not accompanied by quantified losses or independent official confirmation. Neither they nor the early assessment establish the full toll, and no verified casualty count or comprehensive damage total is established here. Missing figures must not be read as zero harm.⁠267

Water operations show concrete disruption. As of 8 a.m. Sunday, 72 of Guam’s 98 operating production wells depended on standby generators. All sewer pump stations and wastewater treatment plants were online, and no sewer overflows had been reported at that point. Parts of Pago Bay, Malesso’ and Latte Heights had reported low or absent water pressure. These are dated operating conditions, not confirmation of household service on Monday.⁠265

Flood-related turbidity in the Ugum River forced the Ugum Surface Water Treatment Plant to be secured. Its reservoir remained unaffected and continued supplying the distribution system. Power and water crews were coordinating generator operations, while power fluctuations, refueling and servicing could require further adjustments.⁠265

Public-school students had no classes Monday while administrators and staff assessed facilities. School shelters continued operating and supporting occupants; elementary parent-teacher conferences were postponed, with replacement dates to come after reopening. Government operations reopened Monday, according to Guam’s official recovery notice, while officials assisted motorists and continued warning of possible flooding and life-threatening marine conditions.⁠263⁠82

The remaining work is to establish actual restoration, losses and measured storm maxima—not simply to mark Champi farther away on a map. For now, the distinction that matters most is practical: normal readiness allows recovery to proceed; it does not make flooded roads passable or hazardous water safe.

Cronologia

Dia 5 · 2 reportagens

Cronologia da história

  1. Primeiro a noticiar

  2. Champi was a tropical storm with 60-mph winds, about 510 miles east-southeast of Guam.

  3. Radar indicated northern-eyewall extreme winds moving ashore from Talofofo southward.

  4. The latest advisory places closest approach very near Guam’s southern point.

  5. Advisory 13A keeps Champi at 140 mph and describes closest approach as already past.

  6. O que emitimos · Atualização 1

    140-mph Champi passes closest to Guam. The emergency is not over.

  7. O que emitimos · Atualização 2Está aqui

    Champi’s warnings end, but flooded-road risks and dangerous seas remain
Tal como emitido
  1. Heavy rain threatens northern Guam with flooding after Champi’s cyclone warnings ended. Dangerous surf and rough seas still threaten swimmers and small boats across four islands.
  2. On October 17, we reported that Guam and Rota remained under typhoon warnings, with Champi’s winds at 140 miles an hour. Those warnings have since ended. Which dangers remain as Guam returns to normal readiness?
  3. The last cyclone warnings ended Sunday evening at five fifty-one, covering Guam, Rota and the surrounding waters. Across the Marianas, no tropical-cyclone watches or warnings remain. Northern Guam’s flood advisory and the islands’ coastal advisories are still in effect.
  4. Champi was about 345 miles west of Guam in Monday morning’s latest position. Its maximum sustained winds were 140 miles an hour, down from Sunday’s 150. It was moving west-northwest at 14 miles an hour into the Philippine Sea.
  5. Typhoon-force winds extended up to 60 miles from the center, and tropical-storm-force winds up to 175 miles. The forecast keeps Champi on that general course through Tuesday. It could regain super-typhoon strength later Monday, but that strengthening is still a forecast.
  6. Northern Guam had already received an estimated one and a half to three inches of rain when the new advisory began. Another half-inch to one and a half inches is forecast there. These amounts cover the local advisory area.
  7. The flooding threat includes Dededo, Tamuning and Yigo, along with Mangilao, Barrigada, Andersen Air Force Base and Mongmong-Toto-Maite. Urban areas and small streams could flood, especially where drainage is poor. Drivers encountering flooded roads should turn around rather than attempt a crossing.
  8. The broader regional flood watch had already been cancelled Monday morning as Champi’s outer rainbands withdrew. The new northern Guam advisory followed around midday. Rain was easing across the region, but enough fell locally to create another flooding threat. The advisory runs until one fifteen this afternoon, Chamorro Standard Time.
  9. Breaking waves of nine to eleven feet are forecast along exposed reefs. High surf covers south and west reefs of Guam and Rota, and south reefs of Tinian and Saipan. Dangerous swimming and surfing conditions can continue as Champi moves farther away.
  10. The forecast surf has eased from the previous evening’s ten to fourteen feet. But rip currents remain life-threatening, including along south and east reefs of Tinian and Saipan. They can sweep even strong swimmers offshore. Guam’s continuing instruction is explicit: stay out of the water.
  11. If a rip current catches you, float rather than fight it. Swim parallel to the shoreline if you can escape, and call or wave for help if you can’t. Localized beach erosion is also possible while the surf remains elevated.
  12. Guam and Rota waters have forecast seas of ten to twelve feet, with southeast winds of fifteen to twenty knots. Tinian and Saipan face nine-to-eleven-foot seas and winds of ten to twenty knots. Both areas could have frequent gusts to thirty knots.
  13. The hazardous-seas warning has been cancelled, while the small-craft advisory continues. Swell and wind-driven waves still make these waters dangerous for smaller vessels. Inexperienced mariners, especially those operating small boats, should avoid boating in these conditions.
  14. Champi’s eye passed about ten miles south of Guam’s southern tip early Sunday morning. The midday account put the eye at around five miles wide. The strongest winds were concentrated offshore, while damaging gusts continued across parts of the islands.
  15. The full morning advisory arrived ahead of its scheduled release and was later corrected. It classified Champi as a super typhoon, with maximum sustained winds of 150 miles an hour. That was a later intensification from the 140-mile-an-hour stage in our earlier broadcast.
  16. Guam International Airport had occasional gusts up to eighty miles an hour Sunday morning. By the afternoon update, sustained winds were twenty-five to thirty miles an hour, with gusts up to sixty. Those readings came at different stages of the storm.
  17. Rota experienced tropical-storm conditions that morning, while Saipan later had gusts up to thirty-five miles an hour. Tinian and Saipan’s tropical-storm warnings and typhoon watches were cancelled at midday. Guam and Rota’s typhoon warnings lasted into the evening, as damaging gusts took longer to subside.
  18. Earlier marine warnings forecast seas potentially reaching twenty-four feet near Guam and twenty feet near Rota. Later buoys measured combined seas of nine to twelve feet near the far northern Marianas. Those observations describe a different location, far from Guam’s coastal waters.
  19. Destructive typhoon-force winds were occurring in western Guam waters during Sunday’s warning period. Boats were told to remain in safe harbor because the seas could capsize or sink vessels. The forecast offshore sea heights didn’t measure breaking waves on Guam’s beaches.
  20. Governor Lourdes Leon Guerrero returned Guam to Condition of Readiness Four at six Sunday evening. That ended the earlier shelter posture. An initial drive-through assessment found no significant ocean inundation or collapsed buildings along the route, and no impassable roads or mudslides.
  21. That first reconnaissance covered only an early view of the damage. Southern Guam reportedly had fallen trees and damaged roofs. The full toll on people and property still isn’t clear. Remaining precautions include watching for road closures, avoiding downed power lines and checking for any boil-water notices.
  22. Seventy-two of Guam’s ninety-eight operating water wells depended on standby generators in Sunday morning’s utility update. All sewer pump stations and wastewater treatment plants were online, and no sewer overflows had been reported at that point.
  23. Parts of Pago Bay, Malesso’ and Latte Heights had reported low or absent water pressure. Power loss and fluctuations could force water-system adjustments, as could generator refueling and servicing. Those were Sunday morning’s operating conditions; they don’t tell households whether their service has since been restored.
  24. Flooding made the Ugum River too cloudy for normal treatment, and the Ugum Surface Water Treatment Plant was secured. Its reservoir remained unaffected and continued supplying the distribution system. Power and water crews were coordinating generator operations, with field response dependent on safe weather.
  25. Sunday’s power disruption also interrupted weather observations. The radar at Andersen was reported out of service by six that morning and returned at seven fourteen. Its temporary outage left a gap in radar coverage during the storm’s departure.
  26. Guam’s public-school students have no classes Monday while administrators and staff assess facilities. School shelters continue operating and supporting their occupants. Elementary parent-teacher conferences have also been postponed, with replacement dates to come after schools reopen.
  27. Government operations reopened Monday, and officials were assisting motorists while continuing to warn about flooding and life-threatening marine conditions. Normal readiness allows recovery work to proceed, while school checks, household water problems and local weather hazards still affect daily life.
  28. The flood advisory is scheduled to end at one fifteen, followed by the next cyclone advisory at two. Surf and rip-current alerts run until four, and the small-craft advisory until five. All those times are local to the islands.
  29. Champi’s departing core has allowed the cyclone warnings to end. Flooding, surf and boating dangers still require separate precautions. The scheduled end of an advisory doesn’t guarantee that a flooded road, exposed beach or stretch of coastal water becomes safe at that minute.

Fontes76

Das fontes aqui citadas, guampdn.com foi a primeira a publicar, 4 dias antes da emissão desta reportagem. Seguiram-se mais 26 órgãos de comunicação social.
  1. guampdn.com
  2. Marianas Variety
  3. The Guam Daily Post
  4. X (formerly Twitter)
  5. Deep Arrival
  6. smartvidya.co.in
  7. Weatherboy
  8. The Watchers
  9. +19 órgãos de comunicação social
  10. HeyDay News

11 artigos anteriores consultados para contextualização.40 órgãos de comunicação social sem data:guam.govcod.edufacebook.comIowa Environmental MesonetNOAAUnnamed channel

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