Laila may re-emerge over northern Bay of Bengal

Cyclone Laila which flooded thousands of homes, snapped power supply in many areas and threw rail and road traffic out of gear in the coastal region of  Andhra  Pradesh was moving north-north-westwards at 10 knots, or 12 miles per hour from the  coast of  Andhra on Friday.

The Joint Typhoon Warning Centre noted that as Laila “follows this path it will encounter the rugged terrain of north-eastern Andhra Pradesh and weaken“.

“However, a formidable remnant low is expected to re-emerge over the northern Bay of Bengal after 72 hours and accelerate east-north-eastward toward eventual landfall over or near south-eastern Bangladesh,” the US Navy’s warning centre said.

Coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh which bore the brunt of Cyclone Laila received an average of about two inches of rainfall per hour, according to data collected by a NASA satellite.

The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite which flew over the cyclone yesterday showed that the heaviest rainfall was received just south-east of the centre of circulation and along the coast.