Initially peaking with 10-minute sustained winds of 50 mph (85 km/h), after it made landfallin Hainan, China on 15 September, it weakened into a minimal tropical storm.

[1] As it tracked quasi-stationary for the next two days,[1] early on 12 September, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) designated the system as a tropical depression.

[2] Soon after, sypnotic data revealed that the system's circulation was developing, causing the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) to follow the JMA in upgrading it into a depression early the next day.

[2] Accelerating northwestward, a few hours later, Ruth made landfall in Hainan Island, 40 nautical miles (74 km) southeast of Haikou,[3] with 1-minute sustained winds of 50 mph (85 km/h).

[2][1] Despite that, the Gulf of Tonkin, which at the time, was as hot as 29 °C (84 °F), was a conducive environment for the weak cyclone to cross into, resulting in Ruth significantly intensifying.

[1] The worst typhoon to strike Thanh Hoa province in 30 years,[3] a 2022 report from GeoHazards stated that from 1970 to 2018, Ruth was the tropical cyclone which caused the most crop damage in the area.

[7] In the aftermath of Ruth, the Soviet Union bought around $50 million worth of wheat from Australia and Greece to serve as emergency aid for the Vietnamese government.