Some rice crops and paddies were destroyed and flooded, while over 31,600 individuals were evacuated to different centers in Godavari District and Odisha.

At 06:00 UTC on December 7, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) began to note in their bulletins that an area of low-pressure could significantly form over the Bay of Bengal over the next 48 hours.

[1] The American-based Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) also began to monitor the developing system later that day.

[2] The IMD later reported that a low-pressure area had formed over the Bay of Bengal, influenced by a trough of low pressure, at 12:00 UTC on December 9.

At 3:00 UTC on December 13, the IMD upgraded the low-pressure area into a tropical depression, while located roughly 530 miles (855 km) east-southeast of Trincomalee, Sri Lanka.

[2] Just 9 hours later, the deep depression strengthened into a cyclonic storm, and was provided the name Phethai by the IMD, while located around 480 miles (770 km) south-southeast of Machilipatnam, Andhra Pradesh.

At this time, Phethai reached its peak intensity with 1–minute sustained winds of around 65 mph (105 km/h), and a minimum pressure of 992 mbar (29.29 inHg).

The depression remained disorganized as it moved across Eastern India, making a second landfall in the country near Tuni.

The IMD issued their final bulletin on the depression at 3:00 UTC the following day, as it degenerated into an area of low pressure over the northwestern Bay of Bengal, while producing minimal convection.

[6] N. Chandrababu Naidu, the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, hosted a teleconference with the collector's of four districts in the state, where cyclone preparations were planned and discussed.

[8] Within Krishna district, 68 relief centers, 15 health teams, and 155 firefighters were put on standby, as local officials prepared for the storm.

[12] The India Meteorological Department (IMD) warned of a chance of heavy rains in the northern part of Tamil Nadu.

[15] After moving onshore, Phethai brought torrential rainfall and strong winds in Andhra Pradesh which downed trees and electrical lines.