developed over the center. A subtropical ridge to the north of the cyclone resulted in it continuing generally westward. Deep convection continued to develop over the center of circulation, and the storm steadily strengthened as outflow improved throughout the circulation. By late on December 25, a rainband wrapped tightly into the center, and it intensified into a severe cyclonic storm as it approached the coast of Sri Lanka. The next day the cyclone developed an eye as it turned west-southwestward. On December 26, the cyclone made landfall on near Trincomalee, Sri Lanka. The JTWC assessed the cyclone as attaining peak winds of . However, the IMD estimated the cyclone reached a maximum intensity of , making it a very severe cyclonic storm. It weakened slightly over land and emerged into the Gulf of Mannar early on December 27 as a tropical storm. Initially, forecasters predicted it to slowly re-intensify; instead it weakened as its convection degraded in organization and intensity. After turning west-northwestward, the storm struck southern India near Kanyakumari on December 28 with winds of , with minimal convection due to land interaction and increased wind shear. It rapidly weakened to tropical depression status over land, degenerating into a remnant low later that day. Early on December 29, the cyclone's remnants emerged into the eastern Arabian Sea and merged with another trough. Impact Government officials in Sri Lanka issued a last-minute evacuation order for potentially affected areas, though few received the evacuation order. The cyclone hit the eastern and western coastlines with powerful waves, wrecking 25 fishing boats in eastern coastal towns and washing away 109 boats near Puttalam. Eight people were left missing and feared dead. The cyclone was accompanied with a storm surge as made landfall that flooded areas up to inland. While crossing the country, the cyclone dropped between of precipitation, compounding the effects of severe monsoonal flooding from the previous month. Wind gusts from the cyclone reached near where it made landfall. The area most affected by the cyclone was in and around Trincomalee: 57 people checked into the local hospital as a result of falling trees or debris, with one person killed due to a falling tree. An entire fishing village was completely destroyed, and heavy rainfall flooded rivers, lakes, and canals, covering roads and crops with floodwaters. The flooding destroyed about 77 square miles (200 km2) of rice fields, and an additional of