 An upper @-@ level low persisted over the Andaman Sea on November 24 . By the next day , a circulation center was present about 370 km ( 230 mi ) west of Thailand , although convection was dislocated to the west due to wind shear . After the thunderstorms concentrated over the center early on November 26 , the IMD classified the system as a depression . A ridge to the north steered the system generally westward . Outflow and convective organization gradually increased , and late on November 26 the JTWC classified it as Tropical Cyclone 03B . As the rainbands organized around the center , the winds increased ; the IMD upgraded the system to a cyclonic storm on November 27 , and to a severe and later a very severe cyclonic storm on November 28 . 
