Cyclone Laila

Cyclonic Storm Laila (01B)

Severe cyclonic storm (IMD scale)
Category 1 (Saffir–Simpson scale)
Cyclone Laila on May 19
Formed	May 17, 2010
Dissipated	May 21, 2010
Highest winds	3-minute sustained: 100 km/h (65 mph) 1-minute sustained: 120 km/h (75 mph)
Lowest pressure	986 hPa (mbar); 29.12 inHg
Fatalities	65 total
Damage	$117.49 million (2010 USD)
Areas affected	Sri Lanka, India
Part of the 2010 North Indian Ocean cyclone season

Cyclonic Storm Laila (IMD designation:BOB 01, JTWC designation:01B) was the first cyclonic storm to affect southeastern India in May since the 1990 Andhra Pradesh cyclone. The first tropical cyclone of the 2010 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Laila developed on May 17 in the Bay of Bengal from a persistent area of convection. Strengthening as it tracked northwestward, it became a severe cyclonic storm on May 19. The next day, Laila made landfall in Andhra Pradesh, and it later dissipated over land. It caused flooding and damage along its path. Laila is an Urdu/Arabic name, meaning Night. It was the worst storm to hit Andhra Pradesh in the last 14 years.

In the middle of May 2010, an area of convection, or thunderstorms, persisted about 865 miles (1400 km) south of the Indian city of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) in the Bay of Bengal. It was initially disorganized, although satellite imagery indicated a mid-level circulation. After a few days, the convection began consolidating around a developing low-level circulation, and rainbands became evident. With low amounts of wind shear in the region, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) assessed its chances of development as fair. The official warning agency in the basin – the India Meteorological Department (IMD) – classified the system as Depression BOB 001 at 0900 UTC on May 17. About three hours after the depression was first classified, the IMD upgraded the system to a deep depression, indicating sustained winds of at least 34 mph (55 km/h).