During the morning hours of July 24, the typhoon was estimated to have reached its peak intensity of 205 km/h (125 mph), but soon began to weaken due to interaction with land.

Based on this, a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert (TCFA) was issued late on July 21 by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC).

Early the next day, Hurricane Hunters estimated that the system developed into a tropical depression, and the JTWC subsequently initialized warnings.

[1] The JMA first classified the low as a tropical storm at 1800 UTC on July 22 while the system generally moved west.

Meanwhile, the cyclone moved westward along the southern periphery of the subtropical ridge in a low wind shear environment.

[1] At 0600 UTC on July 24, the JTWC estimated that the storm attained peak intensity of 250 km/h (155 mph), a Category 4 hurricane-equivalent on the United States Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale (SSHWS).

[1] Early on July 24, the JMA reported that Typhoon Wayne attained peak intensity of 200 km/h (125 mph) (equivalent to a Category 3 on the SSHWS), which it maintained for 12 hours before weakening slightly.

Wayne then began a more northwestward track and made landfall approximately 560 km (350 mi) east of Hong Kong.

[1] At the time of landfall on July 25, the JMA estimated winds of 170 km/h (105 mph), equivalent to a mid-level Category 2 system on the SSHWS.

[6] There, 42 people lost their lives[7] including two children and 12 woman[8] when they drowned in flood waters while trying to cross a damaged,[7] but temporary bridge that was built after the 1981 Pacific typhoon season.