The fourth named storm within the northwestern Pacific that year, Linfa developed as a tropical depression just off the western coast of Luzon on May 25.

Afterwards Linfa began reintensifying and reached its peak intensity on May 29 with maximum sustained winds of 100 km/h (65 mph) and a barometric pressure of 980 mbar (hPa; 28.94 inHg).

The erratic and slow movement of Linfa off the western Philippines was the catalyst for extreme rainfall and flooding, killing 41 persons in the archipelago.

Overall, Linfa caused roughly $28.2 million in damage, much of which occurred in Japan, though the entirety of deaths associated with the cyclone took place in the Philippines.

In late-May an area of disturbed weather began to persist roughly 650 km (400 mi) west of Manila, Philippines in the South China Sea.

[1] Late on May 23, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) began to monitor the area for potential signs of tropical cyclogenesis.

[2] Over the next few days the disturbance began to consolidate towards a common low pressure center, resulting in a burst in convective activity.

[1] At 1800 UTC, the JTWC upgraded the depression to tropical storm status while the JMA followed suit six hours later,[2][3] thus designating the cyclone with the name Linfa.

[2] Upon landfall, Linfa began to weaken as it crossed Luzon before emerging into the Pacific as a minimal tropical storm late that day.

[3] Afterwards, as the cyclone began to track northeastward, the new circulation center became more organized,[1] resulting in the JTWC reclassifying Linfa as a tropical storm at 0600 UTC the following day.

[2] Gradual strengthening followed, and at 1800 UTC that day Linfa reached peak intensity with winds of 100 km/h (65 mph) and a minimum barometric pressure of 980 mbar (hPa; 28.94 inHg) south of Okinawa.

[3] Linfa's slow movement off the western coast of Luzon, followed by its eventual landfall, allowed for copious amounts of rain to occur in areas of the Philippines, leading to widespread flooding.

[1] Prior to landfall, waves generated by Linfa offshore hampered search and rescue operations following the collision of the MV San Nicholas and SuperFerry 12 ships on May 25.

[1] The resulting floods forced then-President of the Philippines Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to order the temporary shutdown of government offices and mobilize city officials to aid in clearing threatened areas of people.

[6] The first documented fatality associated with the storm occurred in Taytay, Rizal, after heavy rains on May 27 triggered a mudslide that killed an infant and injured three other people.

[14] The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council assisted in relief operations by allocating ₱10 million (US$200,000) and 800 bags of rice for such efforts.

[18] Throughout Linfa's passage of Japan, the storm brought heavy rainfall across a wide swath of the country, resulting in extensive and damaging flooding.

[23] Located near the coast, high seas generated by Linfa were reported in Wakayama Prefecture, resulting in cancellations of offshore activities and transportation.

In addition to surface inundation, the rains caused twenty landslides, blocking roads the traffic and suspending some rail operations.

[28] On Nishino-shima Island in Honshu's Shimane Prefecture, precipitation caused the deterioration of surface sediments, resulting in landslides that damaged several buildings.

[35] Despite transitioning into an extratropical cyclone during its passage of Japan, Linfa still maintained strong winds, which caused heavy damage to susceptible structures.