Cyclone Bola developed into a category 1 tropical cyclone 27 February 1988 to the north west of Fiji. Due to a high pressure system the cyclone was blocked and stalled in this area. During February 28, the system became a Category 3 severe tropical cyclone on the Australian scale, as it performed a small clockwise loop, near Vanuatu. During March 2, Bola moved south east from Vanuatu and the Fiji Met Service reported the system had peaked with 10-minute sustained wind speeds of 165 km/h, which made it a Category 4 severe tropical cyclone on the South Pacific scale. The United States Joint Typhoon Warning Center also reported that the system had peaked with 1-minute sustained wind speeds of 195 km/h.

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By 4th March, Bola started transitioning to become an extratropical cyclone and headed in a southerly direction towards the Upper North Island. By 7 March, Bola had taken a westward movement and commenced impacting the Upper North Island with gales force south-easterlies and heavy rain. The slow speed of the system over the next 3 days made cyclone Bola one of the most damaging weather events in New Zealand's modern history. ​All areas across the Upper North Island were battered by Bola's severe gales and heavy rainfall with Northland, Coromandel Peninsula and the Bay of Plenty being most impacted.

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