Typhoon Champi, the planet's strongest storm of the year so far, roared past Taiwan's north-east coast on Friday, prompting hundreds of flight cancellations across East Asia and giving residents an unscheduled day off - though not the fun kind.

Schools and offices across Taiwan shut down as Champi approached, with forecasts predicting up to 90cm (35in) of rain and strong winds through Saturday. Authorities confirmed one death after a person was swept away by waves, while 171 people were injured and 1,000 others evacuated. The storm's wind gusts reached 191 kph (119mph) on Friday afternoon, which is the meteorological equivalent of a very emphatic "stay indoors."

Taiwan's $5tn (£3.7tn) stock exchange closed for the day, proving that even financial markets respect a sufficiently intimidating weather system. Work and classes were suspended in nearly all of Taiwan's 22 counties and cities - the colloquially named "typhoon holiday" - with only Kinmen county, an archipelago west of the main island, stubbornly carrying on as usual.

Whether Champi actually makes landfall remains uncertain. Forecasts from weather agencies in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Japan suggest the eye will pass without hitting land, but a forecaster at Taiwan's Central Weather Administration told Reuters they couldn't rule it out - especially if the storm "stalls, loops, or wobbles from side to side" as it approaches. In other words, the storm may or may not commit.

After brushing Taiwan's north-eastern tip and the Okinawa islands in southern Japan, Champi is expected to hover over waters off China's eastern coast before curving north-east toward Japan's main island. Rainfall is forecast to peak Saturday morning and continue battering Taiwan until Saturday evening. Taiwanese authorities have urged people to avoid coasts and mountains, which is solid advice for any day, really.

In Japan, nearly 8,400 households in southern Okinawa prefecture lost power, according to Okinawa Electric Power, and more than 160 flights were cancelled across four Japanese airlines. Champi also stirred up heavy rain and winds in Batanes, a Philippine island chain below southern Taiwan, where local government photos showed waves crashing into seaside villages and roads closed to traffic. No casualties were immediately reported there.

Earlier this week, Champi became the year's strongest storm when it reached maximum sustained wind speeds of 185mph (298km/h) over the Philippine Sea - the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane. It was initially classified as a "super typhoon" before weakening on Wednesday, because even storms have to pace themselves.

This is shaping up to be one of the region's most active typhoon seasons in years. Champi is Japan's 30th typhoon of the year, marking the first time since 2013 the country has seen so many. The culprit? An unusually strong El Niño - a naturally occurring Pacific phenomenon that hits every few years and triggers extreme weather from droughts to typhoons, because apparently one type of catastrophe isn't enough.