Tropical Storm Emilia (2006)
| Tropical storm (SSHWS/NWS) | |
Tropical Storm Emilia shortly after peak intensity on July 26
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| Formed | July 21, 2006 |
|---|---|
| Dissipated | July 28, 2006 |
| Highest winds |
1-minute sustained: 65 mph (100 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 990 mbar (hPa); 29.23 inHg |
| Fatalities | None reported |
| Damage | None |
| Areas affected | Southwestern Mexico, Western Mexico, Baja California Peninsula, Southwestern United States |
| Part of the 2006 Pacific hurricane season | |
Tropical Storm Emilia was a rare tropical cyclone that affected the Baja California peninsula in July 2006. The sixth tropical depression and fifth tropical storm of the 2006 Pacific hurricane season, it developed on July 21 about 400 miles (650 km) off the coast of Mexico. It moved northward toward the coast, reaching peak winds of 65 mph (105 km/h) before turning westward and encountering unfavorable conditions. Emilia later turned to the north, passing near Baja California as a strong tropical storm. Subsequently the storm moved further away from the coast, and on July 27 it dissipated.
The storm brought tropical storm force winds and precipitation to the southwestern Mexican coastline. Later, Emilia produced similar conditions in the southern portion of the Baja California peninsula, where its passage caused minor damage and flooding. Moisture from Emilia reached the southwestern United States, producing thunderstorms and flash flooding in Arizona, as well as beneficial rainfall in southern California. No deaths were reported in association with Emilia.
The origins of Emilia can be traced to a tropical wave that crossed northern Central America into the eastern Pacific Ocean on July 16. The system moved westward, developing a well-defined low pressure area about 525 miles (850 km) southwest of Acapulco by July 19. The next day, its forward motion had shifted to a slow north-northwest track, and with its convection continuing to organize around the low, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) remarked on the potential for tropical cyclogenesis. Early on July 21, its thunderstorm activity organized enough for the NHC to classify it as Tropical Depression Six-E, located to the southwest of Acapulco.
Upon becoming a tropical cyclone, the depression existed in an area of weak steering currents, though a general motion to the north-northwest was influenced by a large subtropical ridge over the southwest United States. The circulation was initially located east of the main convection, due to the presence of wind shear. Convection increased near the center despite the shear, and on July 22 the depression attained tropical storm status about 400 mi (650 km) south of Manzanillo, Colima; it was named Emilia by the NHC. Around the same time, the storm was developing better-defined rainbands, and with favorable conditions expected, Emilia was forecast to attain hurricane status; the NHC noted the potential for rapid deepening as the storm passed near southwestern Mexico.
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