By May 27, the system weakened to a cyclonic storm and by this time was approaching the northwestern coastline of India, near Gujarat.

In the Valsad district, two coastal communities lost a combined 200 homes due to large swells produced by the storm.

A mid-level circulation finally developed late on May 21, prompting the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) to issue a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert.

Within 48 hours, the system had degraded to a tropical storm and was situated roughly 555 km (345 mi) west-southwest of Mumbai.

Operationally, the JTWC issued their final advisory on the cyclone on May 28 as it weakened to a tropical depression over open waters.

Not long after moving overland, the system rapidly weakened and dissipated over India within several hours.

[2] Ahead of the storm, all ports in Gujarat, including Kandla, one of the largest in the country, were closed as a precautionary measure.

Seven emergency control centers were set up across the country and officials alerted hospitals and fire crews about the approaching storm.

[7] Several relief agencies were already positioned in the region in response to a magnitude 7.7 earthquake in January of that year that killed over 20,000 people.

[11] In the Valsad district, two coastal communities lost a combined 200 homes due to large swells produced by the storm.

[1] Operationally, the cyclone was considered to be a Category 4 equivalent storm by the JTWC, with peak winds of 215 km/h (135 mph).

The cyclone was ranked as the strongest in the Arabian Sea for six years until it was surpassed by Gonu in 2007, which attained a minimum pressure of 920 mbar (hPa).