Champi May Enter Philippine Area as Rosal on October 20

The Philippine weather bureau said Typhoon Champi could enter the country’s area of responsibility on October 20 and be named Rosal, while warning that its track and potential effects remained uncertain. In its 11 p.m. Sunday advisory, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, or Pagasa, placed Champi 1,830 kilometers east of southeastern Luzon. The storm had maximum sustained winds of 175 kph and gusts of up to 215 kph, and was moving west-northwest at 15 kph. It remained outside the Philippine area of responsibility. Pagasa said Champi was expected to continue west-northwest and could enter the monitoring zone by Tuesday morning or early afternoon. The agency said the storm would receive the local name Rosal if it entered. It forecast that Champi could strengthen again before gradually weakening from Wednesday, October 21, after reaching peak intensity. The bureau cautioned that the forecast path could shift southward, bringing the storm closer to mainland northern Luzon. Although Champi was forecast to head toward Taiwan, Pagasa said it could not rule out a crossing or landfall in extreme northern Luzon if the storm followed a more...