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.

By that time, it was located about 485 miles (780 km) east-southeast of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, and was moving westward due to its position southwest of the subtropical ridge.

[6] With further consolidation of the convection throughout the day, the JTWC noted that the storm "[appeared] to be rapidly intensifying", which is a term referring to a quick drop in barometric pressure that usually coincides with a sharp increase in winds.

By late on May 18, an eye feature became evident on satellite imagery,[7] and at 0000 UTC on May 19, the JTWC assessed Laila as producing peak winds of 75 mph (120 km/h), the equivalent of a minimal hurricane.

[9] After reaching peak intensity, Laila briefly decelerated as it moved around tan increasing, and the cyclone began weakening as it remained just off the coast.

The indirect impact of the cyclone was compounded as heavy pre-monsoonal showers set in over parts of the country as the storm developed over the Bay of Bengal.

The Sri Lanka air force helicopters and navy vessels were pressed into service to ferry stranded passengers from Colombo to the international airport after parts of the connecting roads were washed away.

[18] The cyclone caused heavy destruction in Prakasam, Krishna and Guntur districts and preliminary reports prepared by the State government put the loss at over Rs 500 crore.