 The system had a minimum pressure of 
910 mbar (hPa; 26.87 inHg) and maximum sustained winds of .Moving towards the southwest and eventually towards the south, Fay gradually strengthened as it paralleled the northwestern coast of Australia, and made landfall on the Pilbara coast on the morning of 27 March as a Category 4 cyclone.While no fatalities were reported, the cyclone brought record-breaking rainfall to Australia, which led to a sharp decrease in the country's gold output.