1967 Western Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Opal 1967
Typhoon Opal spent almost three weeks over the western Pacific in 1967. After reaching Category 5 strength far from land, it followed a winding course south of Japan before turning northeast into higher latitudes.
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178 mph
Sep 4, 1967 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
A long westward journey
The archived track begins north of the Marshall Islands on 29 August. Opal moved west-northwest and strengthened, reaching peak one-minute winds of 155 kt on 3 September. Its strongest phase occurred over open water, well east of the Mariana Islands.
Opal weakened as it continued northwest toward the seas south of Japan. Its course then flattened westward and briefly bent southwest near the Ogasawara Islands. It retained typhoon winds through this change in direction rather than immediately accelerating northeast.
A broad turn south of Japan
The storm finally turned north and then northeast south of Honshu. Its winds declined as it moved east of Japan, and the tropical stage ended on 17 September. Later positions continue across the northern Pacific through 19 September. No archived center position lies over land.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Opal in brief
What was Typhoon Opal's highest wind speed?
178 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Sep 3, 1967, 12:00 PM UTC.
What category was Typhoon Opal?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Sep 3, 1967, 12:00 AM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Typhoon Opal's lowest pressure?
920 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Sep 4, 1967, 12:00 AM UTC.
When did Typhoon Opal occur?
The archived track runs from Aug 29, 1967, 12:00 AM UTC to Sep 19, 1967, 12:00 AM UTC, with the tropical stage from Aug 29, 1967, 12:00 PM UTC to Sep 17, 1967, 03:00 AM UTC.
Where did Typhoon Opal form?
In the Western Pacific basin, in the 1967 season. Its first archived position is 15°N, 170°E on Aug 29, 1967, 12:00 AM UTC.
Did Typhoon Opal make landfall?
No archived position places Typhoon Opal's center over land, but positions are six-hourly and a brief landfall can fall between them.
METHODOLOGY
Data sources and limitations
The map and summary are generated from NOAA's IBTrACS v04r01 archive. Wind and category use US-agency records; minimum pressure is calculated during the tropical stage, with the archive's pressure source retained. Category 5 refers to the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale; local agencies may use different classifications. Coastlines use Natural Earth's 1:10m land data.
Track distance adds great-circle distances between consecutive observations, excluding gaps over 12 hours. This track has no gaps over 12 hours. The line shows the storm's center, not its size, rainfall or flood extent. Converted wind speeds are rounded to the nearest whole unit.
Archive retrieved
NOAA IBTrACS archive and Field documentation
Sources & methodology