Originating from an area of low pressure over the Bay of Bengal on October 19, the system began as a weak depression 250 km (155 mi) south of Myanmar.

Over the following few days, the depression underwent explosive intensification, reaching its peak intensity with winds of 195 km/h (120 mph 3-minute sustained) on October 22.

Local and foreign media initially criticized the Myanmar government for not giving residents enough warning of the storm and then for keeping quiet on the situation, but the focus later shifted to the loss of life and relief efforts.

Cyclone Giri was first identified by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) as an area of low pressure over the Bay of Bengal on October 19.

[1] Continued development took place as convection consolidated around the system and banding features formed along the western side of the low.

[2] Early on October 21, the IMD upgraded the system to a deep depression and expected it to further intensify into a cyclonic storm within 24 hours.

[8] Early on October 22, Giri further strengthened into a very severe cyclonic storm as it slowly moved towards the central coast of Myanmar.

[10] In the hours before landfall on October 22, Giri attained its peak intensity with winds of 165 km/h (105 mph 3-minute sustained) and a barometric pressure of 950 mbar (hPa; 28.05 inHg).

[12] Around 1400 UTC, Cyclone Giri made landfall near Hunter's Bay, roughly 50 km (31 mi) northwest of Kyaukpyu at peak intensity.

[13] Upon doing so, Giri became the most intense storm to ever strike Myanmar, surpassing Cyclone Nargis which struck the Irrawaddy Delta region as a low-end Category 4 equivalent in May 2008.

[33] Within a day of Giri striking Myanmar, three people were reported to have been killed by the storm and tens of thousands of residents were believed to have been left homeless.

[27] By October 25, officials in Myanmar stated that the death toll had risen to 50 and at least 30 people in the Pyin Wan Village were missing.

By the afternoon of October 23, the Red Cross began deploying relief supplies to the affected region; 300 tents and 150 bags of rice were planned to be distributed to Kyaukphyu where at least 5,000 people were left homeless.

[39] According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), a total of 176,823 people were affected by the storm and 70,795 were left homeless.

[44] By October 26, the Government of the Union of Myanmar had begun distributing 60,000 zinc roof sheets and the Ministry of Forestry provided 200 tonnes (220 tons) of timber.

Through the end of October, six non-governmental organizations in Myanmar planned to distribute emergency food supplies, such rice, oil, salt and pulses, to 5,000 residents in Kyaukpyu and Myebon.

About 500 family kits containing non-food items, such as tarpaulins and mosquito nets, had been distributed by the Myanmar Red Cross Society and another 1,200 were being sent to the area.

[40] By the start of November, the government of Myanmar requested medial aid from the United Nations as a cholera outbreak began to unfold.

[44] Little assistance had reached thousands of survivors days after the storm's passage, fueling anger from local media sources.

Government relief slowly reached the area; however, workers only cleared debris left by the storm and only encouraged residents to rebuild by giving them the supplies needed to do so.

The government claimed that only 27 people had been killed by Giri while numerous local and international agencies stated significantly higher totals.

[50] On November 8, local media discovered that the junta was threatening to sever aid to the region if residents did not vote for them in the national election.