Typhoon Mike originated from a persistent area of convection that was first monitored by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) early on November 6. At midday, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) followed suit. At 15:03 UTC on November 6, the JTWC issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert, after a rapid improvement in the system's convective structure and Dvorak estimates of T1.0/. Following an increase in the storm's convection and an expansion of its outflow, the JTWC upgraded the system into a tropical depression at 12:00 UTC on November 7. Several hours later, the JMA classified the system as a tropical storm. At 00:00 UTC on November 8, the JTWC upgraded the depression into Tropical Storm Mike.