While no fatalities were reported, the cyclone brought record-breaking rainfall to Australia, which led to a sharp decrease in the country's gold output.

[1] Through 15 March satellite imagery indicated increasing convection and organisation of the system, as well as decreasing wind sheer aloft, adding to the favourable conditions for strengthening.

[2] The system then crossed Melville and Bathurst Islands and moved into the Timor Sea, where it intensified,[3] and was given the name Fay by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology.

[1] Fay began to turn southward on 17 March; simultaneously, the cyclone continued to intensify due to a weakening of vertical wind shear, and well-defined outflow became apparent on satellite imagery.

However, hot, dry air flowing into the system from the south, combined with vertical wind sheer, kept the storm from strengthening as much at its maximum potential rate.

[2] By 19 March Fay's track had turned to the west-southwest,[3] and over the next day it continued to strengthen in due to favourable upper-level outflow and weak vertical sheer.

[1] Over the next day, favourable outflow counteracted the dry air that had weakened the system, and a banding eye feature was observed on satellite imagery.

[2] Strengthening into a Category 4 system early on 27 March, Fay made landfall on the Pilbara coast between 8 am and 9 am AWST (0000 and 0100 UTC) with winds of 170 km/h (105 mph), weakening below cyclone strength somewhere between the towns of Nullagine and Telfer.