As Typhoon Champi Nears, Taiwan’s Mayors Bet on a Popular Day Off

In Taiwan, typhoons are not just tropical storms that cause flooding and damage. They can make or break a mayor’s chance at re-election for reasons one might not expect. Several times a year between summer and fall, when the subtropical island is hit by cyclones, city and county mayors must decide whether to order a “typhoon day off,” when government offices, schools and most businesses will close. Taiwan has been bracing for Typhoon Champi, which was at one point a super typhoon and the strongest storm of 2026 . On Thursday, the mayor of Taipei, Chiang Wan-an, called a typhoon day off for Friday, and urged residents to be careful. The storm is expected to pass the northeastern part of Taiwan, bringing heavy rain and winds of 141 miles per hour. The decision did not come as a surprise to many, not least because of the weather forecast. Mr. Chiang faces re-election in late November, and typhoon days are popular with residents, who often spend the day at home. If the storm turns out to be weaker than forecast, many go shopping, to the movies or to sing karaoke. (Mr. Chiang, a member of the Nationalist Party, also called the Kuomintang, is in a close race with Puma Shen, a popular legislator from the governing Democratic Progressive Party.) Almost all cities and counties across Taiwan’s main island had suspended work and class on Friday. Because typhoons are such a common part of daily life in Taiwan, decisions like whether or not to call a typhoon day matter to voters. Between 2001 and 2023, Taipei had 40 typhoon days off , an average of almost two days a year, according to The News Lens, a local publication. Other cities like Yilan on the northeastern coast, which is often hit badly by storms, had 45 days off in that period. According to Austin Wang, an associate professor at the University of Nevada who has studied the electoral politics of typhoon days, the likelihood that a mayor announces closure of work and school increases 31 percent during an election year. Tracking Typhoon Champi See the likely path and wind arrival times for Champi We are having trouble retrieving the article content. Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in . Want all of The Times? Subscribe .