A powerful Category 5 super typhoon, Elsie formed out of a tropical disturbance on October 13, 1989, and initially moved relatively slowly in an area of weak steering currents.

After taking a due west track towards the northern Philippines, the storm intensified further, becoming a Category 5 super typhoon hours before making landfall in Luzon.

By October 13, a tropical disturbance developed out of the system roughly 1,240 kilometres (770 mi) east-northeast of Manila, Philippines.

The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert late on October 13.

Early the following day, the disturbance was designated as Tropical Depression 30W as it began to stall in an area of weak steering currents between two subtropical highs.

Hours before making landfall in Luzon, the storm attained its peak intensity as a Category 5 super typhoon with winds of 260 km/h (160 mph) and a barometric pressure of 898 hPa (mbar).

The weakened storm continued its westward track as it entered the South China Sea along a monsoonal surge.

This surge also helped to keep Elsie as a tropical storm due to increased wind shear over the northern portion of the cyclone.

[2] Failing to re-intensify, Elsie eventually made landfall in central Vietnam on October 22 and degenerated into a remnant-low-pressure system early the following day.

The remnants of Elsie were monitored by the JTWC on satellite imagery for a short time until the former typhoon dissipated over Laos.

[4][5] Although Elsie brushed Hainan Island in China and made landfall in northern Vietnam, little damage was reported in these regions.