The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) began following the wave for the next day, as it headed westward, north of Truk.

Slowly curving northeast from the island, the wave soon was upgraded to a tropical depression with winds of 30 mph (48 km/h) with no eye structure on July 30.

Opal continued the northwest progression, strengthening throughout the day of August 3 and forming a wider eye.

Early in the morning of August 8, the storm struck North Korea near the capital city of Pyongyang.

On the morning of August 9, the system made landfall on the Hokkaido region of Japan, near the town of Rumoi.

During the afternoon, the system crossed the Kuril Islands and began a parallel with the Kamchatka Peninsula the next day.

[5] The impact of Typhoon Opal was most devastating in Taiwan, where originally 87 deaths were reported on the island, with 20 people missing and over 1400 injured.

[6] Although winds of 110 mph (180 km/h) were felt in Taipei, no fatalities were reported because of ample warning, causing residents to evacuate.

[7][9] In Taipei, Opal caused streets to flood, uprooted trees and tore down telephone lines.

[12] After Typhoon Opal passed through South Korea, seven fishermen were killed along the coast of the Yellow Sea.