Although Gerald weakened considerably prior to making landfall, the storm was still responsible for extensive damage in the Fujian Province, where 76 people perished, and 31 others suffered injuries.

[1] The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) started tracking the low at 06:00 UTC on September 2, after convection persisted.

Two and a half hours later, the agency issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert (TCFA), but almost immediately thereafter, shower and thunderstorm activity rapidly diminished due to decreased poleward outflow and increased wind shear.

[4][nb 2] Meanwhile, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) also monitored the storm and assigned it with the local name Neneng.

[2] After meandering offshore the Philippines during the storm's formative stages,[1] Gerald began to turn west-northwest[7] and then north-northwest on September 7.

[1] At 00:00 UTC on September 7, the JTWC reported that Gerald reached typhoon intensity,[8] with the JMA doing the same a mere 12 hours later[4] as an eye first became evident on satellite imagery.

[1] At the same time, the JMA indicated that Gerald attained winds of 145 km/h (90 mph), its peak intensity, and a minimum barometric pressure of 950 mbar (28 inHg).

[2] While at peak intensity, Typhoon Gerald exhibited a 110 km (70 mi) wide eye – unusually large for a tropical cyclone that season.

[7] The weakening trend persisted as the typhoon entered the Formosa Straits,[1] and at 00:00 UTC on September 10, the JMA downgraded Gerald into a severe tropical storm.

[1][7] At the time of landfall, the JTWC estimated that Gerald had weakened into a tropical depression,[8] and the JMA had stopped classifying the storm altogether.

A worker at a nuclear power plant in the southern tip of the island died due to head injuries suffered during the storm.

[1] Typhoon Gerald brought up to 510 mm (20 in) of rain to the Fujian Province, with the cities of Ningde, Fuzhou, Putian, Quanzhou, Xiamen, Zhangzhou receiving the worst damage of the storm.

The Hong Kong Royal Observatory also reported a minimum pressure of 1,000.8 mbar (29.55 inHg) while Cheung Chau received 16.5 mm (0.65 in) of rain in a five-day time span.