Lili reached peak intensity later that day, with ten-minute sustained winds of 75 km/h (47 mph) and a central barometric pressure of 997 hPa (29.44 inHg).

Lili's precursor tropical low caused significant flooding in several villages in Indonesia's Maluku province as a result of heavy rainfall.

Strong winds were experienced along the length of the cyclone's track, as well as on exposed coastal sections of far-northern Australia; namely the Top End and northern Kimberley, and nearby islands.

[3] A moderate to strong pulse of the Madden-Julian Oscillation moved eastwards across the Maritime Continent during early May, generating unseasonal monsoonal activity throughout the Indonesian archipelago and far-northern Australia.

[5] On 4 May, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) noted the formation of a weak tropical low approximately 750 km (470 mi) to the north-northwest of Darwin, embedded within a low-pressure trough extending from Borneo to New Guinea.

The system was located within a very favourable environment for further development, with sea surface temperatures of 29–30 °C (84–86 °F), an excellent upper-level poleward outflow channel and low vertical wind shear.

Located just within Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre Jakarta's area of responsibility, the storm was named Lili by the Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics (BMKG).

[10] Lili began to decay soon afterwards, as dry air continued to infiltrate the cyclone's inner core and the frictional effects of land interaction inhibited the storm's circulation.

[15] The JTWC issued their final warning on the system at 21:00 UTC, noting that deep convection had become almost entirely absent, leaving the storm's low-level circulation centre exposed.

[3] In particular, the villages of Laitutun on Leti Island; Tounwawan in Moa Lakor; and Luang Timur in Mdona Hiera, experienced major inundation to an average depth of 1.5 m (4.9 ft).

[18] At peak intensity, the BMKG reported that Lili's winds were generating waves of up to 6.0 m (19.7 ft) in height in parts of the Timor and Arafura Seas.