Ike originated from an area of disturbed weather southeast of Guam on August 21, 1984, and five days later, developed into a tropical depression.

Initially tracking west-southwest, the storm gradually gained strength as wind shear resulted relaxed and Ike became a typhoon on August 30.

The cyclone emerged into the South China Sea on September 3 as a tropical storm before re-intensifying into a typhoon and moving onshore Hainan.

However, authorities reversed its decision on September 8 due to lack of local resources and started accepting foreign aid.

The origins of Typhoon Ike can be traced back to an area of disturbed weather first identified as part of the region's monsoon trough southeast of Guam on August 21.

[1] Tracking generally northward, it continued to improve in organization and became more compact,[1] allowing both the JMA and the JTWC to upgrade the system to Tropical Storm Ike on August 27.

[4][nb 2] Ike's track northward brought it 165 km (105 mi) southwest of Guam before the tropical storm stalled and turned towards the west-southwest on August 28 as a result of a subtropical ridge to its north.

Initially, persistent wind shear limited intensification,[1] but data from the JTWC suggested that Ike briefly attained typhoon status on August 29.

[6] By August 30, an upper-level anticyclone became established over the system, resulting in favorable conditions aloft, and Ike entered a second intensification phase.

[4] On August 31, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) also monitored the storm and assigned it with the local name Nitang.

[7] Now assuming a more westerly bearing, Ike continued to rapidly strengthen;[1] at 12:00 UTC on September 1, the typhoon reached its peak intensity with winds of 165 km/h (105 mph) and a barometric pressure of 950 mbar (hPa; 28.05 inHg) as analyzed by the JMA.

[4] With maximum intensity, Ike made landfall on the northeastern tip of Mindanao at around 14:00 UTC on September 1,[8] taking 30 hours to track across the southern extent of the Philippines.

[2] Several hours later, data from a Hurricane Hunter aircraft indicated that Ike had developed a 55 km (35 mi) wide eye.

[6] The combination of increased wind shear induced by a trough passing to the storm's north and the typhoon's proximity to land caused Ike to weaken.

[9] Local authorities warned at risk residents via radio to flee to higher ground due to the threat of destructive storm surge.

[9] When Ike began to turn towards the northwest on September 3, typhoon warnings were issued for coastal areas between Hong Kong and Beihai.

[11] Offshore, four foreign oil companies evacuated workers off of drilling rigs in the South China Sea.

[27] Elsewhere, in Cebu, thousands of refugees stayed in town halls and churches during the storm;[36] 10 people were injured by flying debris and another 12 went missing on the island.

Roads connecting Cebu City to 44 peripheral towns were blocked by fallen trees and severe flooding.

[52] At the time of its second landfall, Ike was a large but weakening tropical system, with gale-force winds extending out 315 km (195 mi) from the center.

Thirteen fishermen were overcome by the 7.6–9.1 m (25–30 ft) swells off the coast of Weizhou Island[53] Across the Guangdong, 2,000 houses were destroyed.

[57] Nationwide, numerous trees and power lines were downed by the storms' high winds and an estimated 13,000 structures were damaged or destroyed.

[62] [63] A minimum sea level pressure of 1,009 mbar (29.8 inHg) was recorded at the Hong Kong Royal Observatory.

A peak wind gust of 89 km/h (55 mph) was reported on the island of Tai O. Tate's Cairn measured 24.2 mm (0.95 in) of rain, the highest total within the vicinity of Hong Kong from September 4 to 6.

Despite being near typhoon intensity at the time, a station on Nimitz Hill only documented winds of 30 km/h (19 mph), with higher gusts.

[66] Immediately following Ike, the Government of the Philippines dispatched a C-130 aircraft carrying relief supplies to the affected areas,[67] including 32,000 tonnes (35,000 tons) to Suriago City.

[27] The large loss of life resulted in morgues running out of coffins, leading to bodies being immediately buried to prevent the spread of disease.

[47] On September 9, President Marcos ordered $100,000 worth of cash to seven province governors, and released $555,000 with the intent of rebuilding Suriago City.

[71] On September 8, the nation abandoned its policy of refusing foreign aid, citing a lack of resources due to the country's poor economy.

UNICEF provided $116,000 worth of vitamins and medicine and an additional $116,950 in cash, as well as 28 t (31 short tons) of milk powder.