Taipei:Typhoon Champi is projected to turn northward earlier than previously expected, sparing Taiwan from a direct hit. However, it will still bring significant rainfall to the northern parts of the country on Friday and Saturday, According to Central Weather Administration (CWA).

According to Focus Taiwan, CWA forecaster Cheng Chieh-jen reported that Typhoon Champi has strengthened and expanded over the past 12 hours. As of Monday afternoon, the typhoon was generating sustained winds of 198 kilometers per hour near its center. The storm is now expected to shift northward around Japan's Ishigaki Island due to the weakening of a Pacific high-pressure system.

As the typhoon passes by northeastern Taiwan, it is anticipated to be classified as either a strong "moderate" typhoon or a weak "intense" typhoon. This classification is based on the CWA's system, which defines an intense typhoon as having sustained winds exceeding 184 kph. The CWA may issue a sea warning by Wednesday night or Thursday and a land warning by Thursday evening or Friday, particularly affecting northern and eastern Taiwan. The northern region and Yilan could experience heavy to extremely heavy rain on Friday and Saturday.

For the current week's weather conditions, the CWA forecasts mostly cloudy to clear skies on Tuesday, with temperatures ranging from 30-32 degrees Celsius in the eastern regions and 31-34 degrees in the west. A northeasterly wind system is expected to cool temperatures slightly in the north on Wednesday, with highs between 27-30 degrees and a possibility of scattered showers in Yilan and areas north of Hsinchu.

As the typhoon approaches on Thursday, scattered rain showers are expected in Yilan and northern Taiwan, with heavy rain likely on Friday and Saturday. Other regions may also experience scattered showers. Once Typhoon Champi weakens and moves away on Sunday, most of Taiwan will see cloudy to clear skies, except for lingering rain showers in the east and on the Hengchun Peninsula in the south.