[1] The cyclone drifted north over the central Bay of Bengal, gradually weakening due to heightened wind shear.

In the wake of prolonged precipitation during the first half of May, the cyclone produced torrential rains across southwest Sri Lanka while stationary in the central Bay of Bengal.

In southwestern Sri Lanka, the rainfall caused flooding and landslides that destroyed 24,750 homes and damaged 32,426 others, displacing about 800,000 people.

The storm funneled moisture away from the mainland, which possibly contributed to a heat wave that killed 1,900 people, and dropped heavy rainfall in Myanmar.

[2] At 03:00 UTC on May 10, the India Meteorological Department (IMD)[nb 2] reported the formation of a depression about 535 km (330 mi) west of Banda Aceh, Indonesia.

[5][nb 3] With warm sea surface temperatures, a formidable anticyclone aloft,[2] and low wind shear, the system continued to mature as it tracked northwestward.

[3] After peaking in intensity, the storm began weakening due to increasing easterly wind shear from the ridge to the north, displacing the center of circulation from the deepest convection.

By late on May 14, convection had largely dissipated, with the exception of a small area near the center,[2] and the system weakened to minimal cyclonic storm status.

As the nearby ridge translated eastward, the depression was able to move more steadily to the east and later to the northeast, passing northwest of the Andaman Islands on May 18.

[12] While the storm was nearly stationary in the central Bay of Bengal, the southwesterly flow drew abundant moisture over Sri Lanka to produce severe flooding.

[13] Rainfall was primarily concentrated in southwestern Sri Lanka, with a rain shadow farther inland that resulted in minimal precipitation in and Matale.

[8] After the Kalu River overflowed, floodwaters reached 3 m (9.8 ft) deep in Ratnapura City, submerging the first floors of most homes and persisting for about three days.

Along the Gin River, flood waters inundated the surrounding terrain up to 2 m (6.6 ft) deep, covered roadways, and complicated evacuations.

[15] Since the previously wet conditions had saturated soils,[12] the rains related to the cyclone caused severe flooding and landslides, mostly in Ratnapura and Nuwara Eliya districts.

[21] Flooding from the cyclone destroyed 53,300 hectares (132,000 acres) of tea crops,[17] representing an estimated 20–30% loss for the year in the low country.

[3] As the storm made landfall in Myanmar, it produced heavy rainfall in Rakhine State, signalling an early start to the monsoon season.

According to the IMD, the cyclone "might have caused the severe heat wave conditions prevailing over the coastal Andhra Pradesh" from May into early June, killing up to 1,400 people,[3] and increasing air temperatures to 50 °C (122 °F).

[13] The local Red Cross chapter utilized emergency supplies to distribute 10,000 food packages while also deploying trained volunteers to assist in the disaster areas.

[32] After the floods largely subsided, the World Socialist Web Site criticized the Sri Lankan government for not having better disaster management in place, as well as noting that deforestation and gem mining contributed to the landslides.

[24] A Red Cross report in August 2003 noted the swift work to bring relief to the affected citizens, while also commenting that the floods displayed the country's problems with disaster mitigation.

[13] A day prior, the Red Cross allocated CHF50,000 to buy relief supplies, while the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs provided a $50,000 grant.

[39] During a peace agreement amid the ongoing civil war, the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka sent trucks with clothing and food to the affected areas.