The sixth tropical depression and the third named storm of the 2011 Pacific typhoon season, Sarika formed from an area of low pressure near Cebu City.

[1] An area of low pressure formed near the Verde Island Passage on June 8, to the southwest of Mariveles, Bataan.

[3] On June 9, the PAGASA reported that the low-pressure area intensified to a tropical depression while located to the southwest of Iba, Zambales, earning the name Dodong.

[2][3] The next day, the JTWC, JMA and PAGASA all reported in their bulletins that the depression intensified to a tropical storm, with the second naming the system Sarika.

[2][3][5] However, in the post-tropical analysis by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, they downgraded the system to a tropical depression in its peak intensity.

[6] Despite being disorganized due to wind shear, Sarika continued to slowly strengthen until it made landfall near Fuzhou, China on June 11 as a weak tropical storm.

[8] The Philippine Coast Guard-Calabarzon were also deployed in the South China Sea in case of marine emergencies and incidents.

[12] Despite Sarika making landfall as a tropical depression near Shantou, 23 deaths were attributed to the storm, mainly due to flash floods and landslides.