After it was named Yali re-curved and started moving towards the south-southeast, as the monsoonal flow to the north of the system strengthened.

While the system was active, Yali affected Vanuatu and New Caledonia before the extra-tropical remnants impacted New Zealand where a man was killed and widespread power outages and damage were reported.

[1] The disturbance was slowly moving south-southwestwards, along the steering flow of a weak mid-level ridge of high pressure in between Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands.

[1][2] Over the following day, the Fiji Meteorological Service started to monitor the disturbance, as a well defined area of low pressure, while the JTWC subsequently initiated advisories and designated the system as Tropical Cyclone 29P.

[3][4] The newly named tropical cyclone subsequently started to move south-eastwards, as the monsoonal steering flow to the north of the system increased.

[5] Later that day, the FMS followed suit and reported that Yali had peaked with 10-minute sustained wind speeds of 130 km/h (80 mph), which made it a Category 3 severe tropical cyclone.

After passing south of New Caledonia, an upper-level low picked up the cyclone and induced cold air into the atmospheric circulation.

[6] Early on March 25, Yali had lost its tropical characteristics as an upper-level low captured the system, with cold air working around the northern and western sides of the circulation.

[9] Other places in Vanuatu only received minor damage,[6] though Yali caused heavy rainfall and flooding throughout the island group and affected residents in low-lying areas and close to river banks.

[6] Cyclone Yali passed just to the south of New Caledonia during March 23 and affected the Loyalty Islands, Isle of Pines and the southern half of Grande Terre.

[10] Upon striking New Zealand as an extratropical storm, it caused high seas and flooding over parts of the South Island, notably around Westport and Nelson.