The first named storm of the 2018 Pacific typhoon season,[nb 1] Bolaven formed as a tropical depression near Palau on December 29, 2017.

The system strengthened into a tropical storm on January 3 as it entered the South China Sea, receiving the name Bolaven.

However, Bolaven weakened back to a tropical depression just a day later amid a marginal environment and dissipated on January 4 east of Vietnam.

[nb 2] On December 29, 2017, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) began to track a tropical depression about 370 km (230 mi) east of Palau.

[3] Initially broad and ill-defined,[4] the system began to organize slowly on January 1, 2018, as evidenced by increased thunderstorm activity and banding features.

[5] This prompted the United States-based Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) and the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) to upgrade the system to a tropical depression; the latter gave it the local name Agaton.

[3] Despite the warm waters of the Sulu Sea, strong easterly upper-level winds kept thunderstorms to the northwest of the depression's low-level circulation center, thereby preventing intensification.

[10] The depression continued to be steered west by the subtropical ridge and made a sixth landfall near Aborlan, Palawan at 14:45 UTC on January 2.

[11] Persistent wind shear and marginal sea surface temperatures, however, caused the system to degrade back to a depression by January 4.

[12][3] With no thunderstorm activity near the system's center,[13] Bolaven dissipated as a tropical cyclone just off Vietnam's South Central Coast at 12:00 UTC on January 4.

[17] Three municipal government units in Bohol issued mandatory evacuation orders for their residents ahead of dangerous floods.

The City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council in Puerto Princesa distributed 785 family food packs to affected barangays.