Guam is being placed under Condition of Readiness 1 as Typhoon Champi, now a Category 1 storm with sustained winds of 85 mph, tracks just south of the island. Governor Lourdes A. Leon Guerrero announced the move to COR 1 for 1 pm Saturday, meaning destructive winds are possible within 12 hours. The National Weather Service has a typhoon warning in effect for Guam and Rota, with tropical storm warnings and a typhoon watch covering Saipan and Tinian.

Champi is moving west-northwest at 15 mph and is forecast to strengthen into a Category 3 typhoon — winds of 110 to 130 mph — before passing through the Marianas. The centre is expected to pass south of Guam on Sunday morning, but forecasters are warning residents not to relax: the worst winds sit in the eyewall around the centre, which could clip southern Guam, and any northward shift would worsen conditions for Rota, Tinian and Saipan. Damaging winds are likely to start around midnight Saturday.

The expected impacts for Guam are severe: 12 to 20 inches of rain, peak winds of 110 to 130 mph with gusts to 160 mph, surf up to 35 feet and coastal inundation of 5 to 7 feet. Rota is looking at 60 to 80 mph winds and 20 to 25-foot surf, while Saipan and Tinian face 40 to 60 mph winds. Everyone in the Marianas has been told to finish storm preparations by sunset Saturday.

The Guam Power Authority is cautioning that the grid will be unstable during restoration, with fluctuating voltages and repeated interruptions. Residents should unplug sensitive electronics, and anyone seeing severe flickering, brownouts or water coming from outlets should shut off their main breaker. Non-emergency issues can be reported to GPA's call centre at (671) 647-5787/8/9; emergencies go to 24-hour dispatch at (671) 475-1472/3/4.

The Department of Agriculture has also issued detailed pet safety guidance: bring animals indoors well before the winds arrive, prepare a week's worth of food and water, keep vaccination records and ID tags handy, and never leave pets chained outside. After the storm, keep dogs leashed — pets can become disoriented when familiar scents vanish — and don't let them drink from puddles or floodwater, which can carry leptospirosis and other pathogens.

Why it matters for travellers: anyone on Guam or in the Northern Marianas right now should be sheltering in place and following local guidance — flights will be disrupted through the weekend and airports may close at the storm's peak. Travellers with trips booked for the coming days should contact airlines about rebooking before conditions deteriorate, and those with hotels in southern Guam in particular should confirm their property's typhoon procedures. Forecast updates are posted at weather.gov/gum.