The system remained stationary for several days near Kosrae, pouring heavy rain that knocked down power.

As the storm steadily intensified, Faxai moved west-northwestward at a very slow pace as it neared Pingelap, damaging crops, before bringing strong winds and rainfall that produced two landslides in Pohnpei on December 20.

On December 24, Faxai recurved north-northeastward, approaching the island of Agrihan, before transitioning into an extratropical cyclone on Christmas Day.

The origins of Typhoon Faxai are traced back to a low-latitude monsoon trough in the Caroline Islands that spawned a circulation.

[1] Other factors encompass an interaction with a shear line that spanned toward the system from the northeast, a slightly weak subtropical ridge and a sequence of westerly wind bursts.

[2] Though with no change in intensity, organization very slowly increased,[1] and by 18:00 UTC of the next day, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) designated the system a tropical storm and gave it the name Faxai.

[3] The tropical storm moved west-northwestward very slowly and entered a point 324 km (201 mi) east-southeast of Pohnpei on December 17.

On December 18, Faxai remained nearly stationary before steering eastward, as the easterlies and the equatorial westerlies dragged the storm in between back and forth.

Vertical wind shear around the storm increased due to the easterlies in the tropics and upper troposphere, starting a weakening trend.

Moving east-northeastward at 80 km/h (50 mph) on December 26, Faxai's remnants were last noted 1,200 km (750 mi) west-northwest of Midway Atoll by the JMA, before they dissipated at 12:00 UTC.

The storm poured heavy rain of 80 mm (3.13 in) and caused flooding and two landslides in Nett,[11] as a constitutional convention was convened in Palikir.

[11] The Governor of Guam Carl Gutierrez declared a state of emergency and Typhoon Condition 3 as Faxai approached the territory.

[13] The legislation of Guam authorized the use of $250,000 for mitigation and expenses associated with civil defense, public safety, or health emergencies; it was anticipated that Faxai had the potential to strike the island with powerful winds and inflict devastating damage.

[15] On December 22, a 69-year-old man drowned in Gun Beach, Guam from strong rip currents caused by swells from Faxai across the shoreline.