Emilia — 2024

A tropical depression formed from a tropical wave on 4 August 2024 about 550 nautical miles west of Manzanillo, Mexico. The system became Tropical Storm Emilia on 5 August and moved generally northwestward through 8 August. Emilia reached its peak on 7 August, then weakened as it continued away from the Mexican coast and dissipated by 11 August well over the eastern Pacific. Emilia did not make any landfall. There were no coastal watches or warnings issued and no ship or land reports of tropical-storm‑force winds associated with the cyclone. The storm’s maximum sustained winds were estimated at 60 knots (about 69 mph) from 0600 to 1200 UTC on 7 August, with an estimated minimum central pressure of 988 mb. At peak it was a moderate tropical storm (below hurricane strength). Because Emilia stayed over open water, no storm surge impacts were reported. There were also no rainfall reports tied to the storm for coastal cities or counties in the National Hurricane Center’s record. There were no reports of damage or any direct or indirect fatalities linked to Emilia. The cyclone had little to no impact on land. Noteworthy aspects include that the system’s genesis was poorly predicted: the disturbance that became Emilia was introduced in NHC forecasts only about 12 hours before formation, partly because models showed it merging with nearby Tropical Storm Fabio. The interaction between Emilia and Fabio also likely contributed to larger-than-average track forecast errors early on, while intensity forecasts performed better than recent averages.