Emilia and Fabio Dance in Rare Fujiwara Encounter
Tropical Storm Emilia (EP052024) formed in the eastern Pacific on 4 August 2024 after a tropical wave crossed Central America and organized offshore southwest of Mexico. The National Hurricane Center classified Emilia as a tropical storm that remained over open waters throughout its tropical cyclone lifecycle. Emilia reached peak intensity on 7 August with maximum sustained winds of 60 kt and a minimum central pressure of 988 mb. The storm produced no reported fatalities, damage, coastal watches, or warnings during its lifetime.
Atlantic Wave Crosses into Pacific, Ignites Emilia’s Formation
Tropical Storm Emilia developed from a disturbance with origins thousands of miles away in the tropical Atlantic. The precursor wave moved off the west coast of Africa on 20 July 2024, crossed the Atlantic basin, and reached Central America on 31 July before entering the eastern Pacific environment.
By 1200 UTC on 4 August, satellite imagery showed sufficient organization for the system to become a tropical depression approximately 550 nautical miles west of Manzanillo, Mexico. The developing cyclone formed within a favorable region of the eastern Pacific monsoon trough, where convection gradually consolidated around a defined low-pressure center.
The early evolution of Emilia became closely linked with nearby Tropical Storm Fabio, which formed to the east. Forecast models initially suggested that the developing disturbance could be absorbed by Fabio, with the possibility of interaction between the two systems. Their proximity created interest among forecasters because the storms approached a potential Fujiwara effect, a process in which two nearby tropical cyclones can rotate around a common center and influence each other’s motion.
Although the interaction did not result in a merger, Emilia and Fabio provided a notable example of how multiple tropical systems can evolve in close proximity during the eastern Pacific hurricane season. Emilia continued developing independently while tracking west-northwest over the open ocean.
Emilia’s entire track stayed away from Mexico, Baja California, Hawaii, and the continental United States — a classic “fish storm” that limited its effects to maritime conditions rather than coastal impacts.
Peak Strength Offshore: Emilia’s Short Burst of Tropical Storm Intensity
Emilia strengthened quickly after becoming a tropical depression, reaching tropical storm status by 0000 UTC on 5 August. The storm continued gaining organization as it moved across warm eastern Pacific waters, with satellite estimates showing improving convective structure and a more defined circulation.
At its peak from 0600 to 1200 UTC on 7 August, Tropical Storm Emilia reached maximum sustained winds of 60 kt, equivalent to 111 km/h. The estimated minimum central pressure was 988 mb. The National Hurricane Center based the intensity assessment on a combination of subjective Dvorak estimates, including T4.0/65 kt from the Tropical Analysis and Forecast Branch and T3.5/55 kt from the Satellite Analysis Branch. The pressure estimate was primarily calculated using the Knaff-Zehr-Courtney pressure-wind relationship.
During Emilia’s strongest phase, NHC advisories tracked the storm’s movement across the open eastern Pacific while monitoring its interaction potential with Fabio. Advisory updates documented Emilia’s gradual northward turn after peak intensity as environmental conditions began changing.
No coastal communities experienced tropical-storm-force winds from Emilia. Observational data did not include ship or land-based reports of tropical-storm-force conditions, and the storm remained separated from major shipping corridors near the Mexican coastline.
The storm’s peak represented a short period of organization before weakening conditions developed. Increasing distance from favorable atmospheric support, combined with declining convection, led to a steady reduction in Emilia’s strength after 7 August.
Open-Ocean Dissipation: Emilia’s Six-Day Run Ends Without a Landfall
After reaching peak intensity, Emilia weakened while accelerating northwestward over the eastern Pacific. The cyclone’s maximum winds decreased to 50 kt by 0000 UTC on 8 August as convection became less persistent and the circulation began losing tropical characteristics.
On 8 August, Emilia weakened into a post-tropical remnant low after completing its tropical cyclone lifecycle. The system continued drifting across the Pacific as a weak low-pressure area, with its remaining circulation eventually dissipating by 10 August near 24.9°N, 131.7°W.
The storm’s six-day tropical cyclone history remained entirely offshore, with no direct effects reported across the Americas, the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, or U.S. coastal regions. Emilia left behind a record of a remote eastern Pacific track, a brief burst of tropical storm intensity, and a close encounter with another named storm during one of the busiest stretches of the 2024 season.
Source: National Hurricane Center Tropical Cyclone Report — Tropical Storm Emilia (EP052024), 4–8 August 2024.