 A low @-@ level circulation north of Chuuk organized into a tropical depression on August 4 . After moving quickly westward , the depression stalled on August 5 and August 6 , allowing it to strengthen into a tropical storm and mature into a typhoon on August 7 . The typhoon turned northward , rapidly intensifying to maximum sustained winds of 125 knots ( 232 km / h ) on August 8 while east of Taiwan . Cooler water temperatures and vertical wind shear weakened Cecil as it continued northward , and as a 35 knots ( 65 km / h ) tropical storm , it hit North Korea on August 14 . Though significantly weakened , it brought a great deal of precipitation , causing severe flooding killing 54 and leading to millions of dollars in damage . 
