Typhoon Champi Reaches Category 4 Near Guam as Hurricane Trudy Nears Mexico's Pacific Coast

Since Super Typhoons Sinlaku and Bavi hit Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands in April and July, the territories have been in recovery mode. Now a third major storm is bearing down on them, and Mexico's Pacific coast is bracing for a hurricane of its own.

Champi bears down on Guam

Typhoon Champi strengthened into a Category 4 storm as it moved west toward Guam at about 14 mph. By Saturday night local time, the U.S. National Weather Service put its center roughly 55 miles southeast of the island, with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph. Earlier in the day the winds were 130 mph, and forecasters said then that it could become a super typhoon.

The storm is forecast to pass south of Guam early Sunday, local time, and keep intensifying through the day. A typhoon warning covers Guam and Rota. Tinian and Saipan are under a tropical storm warning and a typhoon watch.

Rain is the other threat. Forecasters say Guam could see over a foot, Rota up to 8 inches, and Tinian and Saipan 3 to 5 inches. Flood watches are in effect.

Federal help is not close

The governors of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands both requested emergency disaster declarations on Friday. Approval by President Donald Trump would authorize federal support and funding for emergency protective measures. No approval has been announced.

Airports, harbors and some health facilities in the territories are closed. FEMA said in Saturday updates that resources were unlikely to reach the islands for three to five days.

That gap is especially hard because the territories are still recovering from two super typhoons that struck in April and July.

Trudy takes aim at Mexico's southwest coast

On the other side of the Pacific, Hurricane Trudy was a Category 1 storm on Saturday with maximum sustained winds of 90 mph. The U.S. National Hurricane Center placed it about 265 miles west of Acapulco in Guerrero state and 170 miles south-southeast of Manzanillo, moving northwest at about 10 mph.

Trudy had been stronger. On Thursday the NHC had it at 105 mph and on track to become a major hurricane on Friday. Forecasters said Saturday it could still strengthen before beginning to weaken on Sunday.

A hurricane warning is in effect from Manzanillo in Colima state to Cabo Corrientes in Jalisco. The center is expected to approach the coast Saturday and pass near it overnight into Sunday. The NHC said hurricane conditions are expected in the warning area Saturday night, with tropical storm conditions spreading across the region during the day.

Rain and flooding are the main risk

The NHC forecasts 4 to 8 inches of rain through the weekend across parts of Michoacán, Colima and Jalisco, with isolated totals near 15 inches. It warned of life-threatening flooding and landslides, especially in steep terrain. Outer rain bands could drop 2 to 4 inches in Guerrero and Nayarit, with isolated totals around 6 inches and a risk of localized flash flooding.

The NHC also warned of possible coastal flooding from storm surge in areas exposed to onshore winds, along with large and destructive waves. Swells from Trudy are already affecting parts of the southwestern coast. They are expected to spread north toward the west-central coast through the weekend, creating life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.

The Mexican navy urged mariners and coastal residents to use extreme caution because of high waves, heavy rain, and the risk of rising rivers, flooding and landslides in vulnerable areas.

Colima authorities said the risk was currently low. They also warned that heavy rain could still do damage, because successive storms have already saturated the ground along the Pacific coast.

The immediate questions are how far Champi intensifies after passing Guam and whether Trump approves the emergency declarations the two governors requested Friday. On the Mexican side, forecasters say Trudy could begin to weaken on Sunday. Flooding and landslides from rain on already saturated ground are the threat that could outlast the wind.