On 7 September, Sally reached super typhoon status shortly before attaining its peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of 260 km/h (160 mph) and a barometric pressure of 940 mbar (hPa; 27.76 inHg).

Quickly moving across the South China Sea, Sally substantially weakened but remained a strong typhoon before making its first landfall on the Leizhou Peninsula on 9 September.

The tropical cyclone's trek brought it briefly over the Gulf of Tonkin before making a final landfall near the border of China and Vietnam.

At 0000 UTC the following day, the JTWC upgraded the low-pressure area to tropical depression intensity,[1] while the storm system was situated roughly 1,300 km (810 mi) east of Manila in the Philippines.

[2] The rate of intensification quickened during the day, and at 1800 UTC the depression intensified into tropical storm strength, earning it the name Sally.

[1] At the time, the typhoon had a minimum barometric pressure of 990 mbar (hPa; 29.24 inHg) according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).

The typhoon briefly tracked over the Gulf of Tonkin before making a second and final landfall just north of the border between China and Vietnam.

[5] Ferry service to Hong Kong's outlying islands were suspended, while active fishing vessels sought shelter in the local harbor.

In the early morning hours of 9 September, Sally made its closest pass to Hong Kong as it moved 180 km (110 mi) off to the south.

In nearby Macau, trees were also uprooted, and low-lying areas were inundated by flooding conditions exacerbated by the high tides caused by Sally.