The worst typhoon to affect the Malay Peninsula in thirty-five years, Gay originated from a monsoon trough over the Gulf of Thailand in early November.

[nb 1] Later that day, Gay became the first typhoon since 1891 to make landfall in Thailand, striking Chumphon Province with winds of 185 km/h (115 mph).

[nb 2] Striking India as a powerful cyclone, Gay damaged or destroyed about 20,000 homes in Andhra Pradesh, leaving 100,000 people homeless.

[nb 3] Owing to its small size, the system began strengthening within the narrow gulf by taking advantage of warm waters and good outflow.

[4] The Japan Meteorological Agency assessed that the storm had ten-minute sustained winds of 140 km/h (85 mph) and a pressure of 960 mbar (hPa; 28.35 inHg).

[3][4] According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD),[nb 5] Gay was the first typhoon since 1891 to form in the Gulf of Thailand and enter the Bay of Bengal.

The storm gradually restrengthened as it moved through an area of low wind shear and warm waters; however, this was limited by restrictions to the cyclone's outflow.

Based on estimates provided through the use of the Dvorak technique, the JTWC assessed Gay to have attained its peak intensity as a Category 5-equivalent cyclone with winds of 260 km/h (160 mph) early on 8 November.

[3][11] Now over land, Gay no longer had access to warm waters, causing it to weaken to a tropical storm less than twelve hours after this landfall.

[4] The most powerful storm to affect the Gulf of Thailand in more than thirty-five years, Gay produced 6–11 m (20–36 ft) swells which caught many ships in the region off-guard.

[12] At least 16 vessels were reported missing by 5 November, including the 106 m (348 ft) Unocal Corporation oil drilling ship Seacrest.

The vessel abruptly capsized with all 97 crew members on board during the overnight hours of 3 November, before any life boats could be deployed.

[20][28] Monetary losses reached 11 billion baht (US$456.5 million), ranking Gay as one of the costliest disasters in the country's history.

[30] Following considerable criticism for downplaying the impact of the typhoon, Prime Minister Chatichai Choonhavan delayed his visit to the United States to oversee relief efforts.

As the scale of damage became more apparent, a request for international aid was made by 17 November to the United Nations Disaster Relief Organization.

[31] Following post-storm surveys, it was determined that most of the severely damaged schools had been built improperly – building codes in Thailand mandate that structures withstand up to 120 kgf/m2 of pressure from winds.

[8] A few days before the cyclone made landfall, officials in Andhra Pradesh began evacuating roughly 50,000 residents along the coast and stockpiled relief goods.

[35] Along the coast, a storm surge of 3.5 m (11 ft) inundated areas up to 3 km (1.9 mi) inland, washing away numerous structures.

[10][36] About 20 km (12 mi) outside of Kavali, a 91 m (299 ft) tall, steel lattice microwave tower collapsed after experiencing winds estimated at 142 km/h (88 mph).