On December 9 and the ensuing two days, Utor crossed the central Philippines and reached typhoon strength before weakening somewhat upon entry into the South China Sea.

Reintensification ensued afterwards, and Utor reached its peak intensity on December 13 with maximum sustained winds of 155 km/h (100 mph) shortly after regaining typhoon strength.

Numerous ships sunk as a result of rough seas generated by the typhoon, including a ferry carrying 104 passengers and crew.

Although the storm mostly dissipated in the South China Sea, Utor's remnant moisture later contributed in part to Peninsular Malaysia's worst flood event in recorded history, as copious amounts of precipitation fell over a short, four-day period.

[1] At 00:00 UTC on December 7, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) determined that the disturbance had become sufficiently organized to be considered a tropical depression;[5][nb 3] at the time the cyclone was centered 175 km (110 mi) west-southwest of Yap.

The tropical cyclone reached the southeastern coast of Samar by 06:00 UTC on December 9 and began tracking through the central Philippine archipelago over the next two days.

Despite its interaction with the nearby islands,[1] Utor continued to strengthen without much impediment and reached typhoon strength in the Visayan Sea at 12:00 UTC that day.

Twelve hours later, the typhoon attained an initial peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of 140 km/h (85 mph) and a minimum barometric pressure of 955 mbar (hPa; 28.20 inHg) in the Sibuyan Sea according to the JMA.

[5] Although Utor tracked back over water on December 10, the storm began to weaken due to increasing wind shear and dry air from the west.

[5] This strength was held for only twelve hours before Utor's outflow began to succumb to the wind shear and dry air stemming from the monsoonal flow it had previously suppressed.

[1][6] Traveling in a tight clockwise loop, the typhoon rapidly weakened on December 13; by the following day Utor was a minimal tropical storm.

[9] Potentially hazardous conditions also delayed humanitarian aid to victims of Typhoon Durian, which struck the Philippines in late November.

[15][16] In addition, the Philippines Office of Civil Defense considered relocating Typhoon Durian refugees in the Bicol Region to special "holding areas".

[1] Thailand's Royal Irrigation Department released water from local dams in order to mitigate a potential flood event caused by Utor.

[36] Off of Malaysia, a rough sea warning for coastal stretches of Sabah and northern Sarawak due to the threat of high wind-swept waves caused by Utor.

[37] In Vietnam, delegations were sent to coastal areas to guide residents in preparing for Utor and secure fishing boats, while troops were sent to reinforce buildings and fortify sea defenses.

[45] A total of 140 sheds on the islands of Yongxing, Yayong, Zhaoshu, and Bei Dao were flattened by the passing typhoon, while a ship at harbor sank and five others ran aground.

[48] The tropical moisture acted in tandem with wind shear and a monsoonal flow to produce continuous precipitation over the Malaysian states of Pahang, Johor, and Malacca.