The ninth depression and fifth named storm of the 2020 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Burevi originated from a low-pressure area which formed on November 28.

Burevi slowly intensified reaching its peak intensity on December 2, just before making landfall in Sri Lanka.

[7] At this time, microwave imagery showed well-defined convective banding wrapping tightly around the low-level circulation (LLCC).

[8] At 15:00 UTC on December 2, Burevi reached its peak intensity with 1-minute sustained winds of around 85 km/h (55 mph) and a barometric pressure of 996 mbar (29.4 inHg).

[11] However, Burevi slowed down quickly as it became stuck in a col between two subtropical ridges on December 4; thus the system stalled just west of Sri Lanka while weakening back down to the equivalent of a tropical depression, due to increasing vertical wind shear.

[14] Sri Lanka's meteorological department also warned of storm surge, flash flooding, and damage to homes and power lines.

[18] The Director-General of the Disaster Management Centre said that 50 shelters were opened in each district of the North and East provinces.

Rain continued to lash Jaffna after the centre of the cyclone moved out of the island, leaving many areas flooded.

[23] Sri Lanka Navy said dozens of families were displaced in Punkudutivu and Iranativu islands in Jaffna who were relocated to safer places and given relief supplies.

[30] According to European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations, 10,336 people were displaced and an additional person was missing.

[34] 63 relief centers were opened in the Thoothukudi district where 30,000 sandbags were prepared to stop breaches in irrigation tanks.

[37] On November 30, a red alert was issued for the Kerala districts of Thiruvananthapuram, Alappuzha, Kollam, and Pathanamthitta.

[39] In the districts of Thiruvananthapuram, Alappuzha, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, and Idukki, a public holiday was declared for December 4.

[50] A central team was sent to Puducherry to assess damage from both Burevi and Nivar, which hit the area a little over a week earlier.

[51] In Kerala, people forced to evacuate to relief camps were allowed to return to their homes on December 5.