Tropical Storm Emilia (2006)
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Tropical Storm Emilia was a rare
tropical cyclone A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its locat ...
that affected the Baja California Peninsula in July 2006. The sixth tropical depression and fifth tropical storm of the
2006 Pacific hurricane season The 2006 Pacific hurricane season was the first above-average season since 1997 which produced twenty-five tropical cyclones, with nineteen named storms, though most were rather weak and short-lived. There were eleven hurricanes, of which six ...
, it developed on July 21 about off the coast of Mexico. It moved northward toward the coast, reaching peak winds of 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 Rain is a form of precipitation where water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. ...
in southern California. No deaths were reported in association with Emilia.


Meteorological history

The origins of Emilia can be traced to a
tropical wave A tropical wave (also called easterly wave, tropical easterly wave, and African easterly wave), in and around the Atlantic Ocean, is a type of atmospheric trough, an elongated area of relatively low air pressure, oriented north to south, which ...
that crossed northern Central America into the eastern Pacific Ocean on July 16. The system moved westward, developing a well-defined
low-pressure area In meteorology, a low-pressure area (LPA), low area or low is a region where the atmospheric pressure is lower than that of surrounding locations. It is the opposite of a high-pressure area. Low-pressure areas are commonly associated with incle ...
about southwest of
Acapulco Acapulco de Juárez (), commonly called Acapulco ( , ; ), is a city and Port of Acapulco, major seaport in the Political divisions of Mexico, state of Guerrero on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, south of Mexico City. Located on a deep, semicirc ...
by July 19. The next day, its forward motion had shifted to a slow north-northwest track, and with its
convection Convection is single or Multiphase flow, multiphase fluid flow that occurs Spontaneous process, spontaneously through the combined effects of material property heterogeneity and body forces on a fluid, most commonly density and gravity (see buoy ...
continuing to organize around the low, the
National Hurricane Center The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is the division of the United States' NOAA/National Weather Service responsible for tracking and predicting tropical weather systems between the IERS Reference Meridian, Prime Meridian and the 140th meridian ...
(NHC) remarked on the potential for
tropical cyclogenesis Tropical cyclogenesis is the development and strengthening of a tropical cyclone in the atmosphere. The mechanisms through which tropics, tropical cyclogenesis occur are distinctly different from those through which temperate cyclogenesis occu ...
. 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 The horse latitudes are the latitudes about 30 degrees north and south of the Equator. They are characterized by sunny skies, calm winds, and very little precipitation. They are also known as subtropical ridges or highs. It is a high-pressur ...
over the southwest United States. The circulation was initially located east of the main convection, due to the presence of
wind shear Wind shear (; also written windshear), sometimes referred to as wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and/or direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere. Atmospheric wind shear is normally described as either vertical ...
. Convection increased near the center despite the shear, and on July 22 the depression attained tropical storm status about south of Manzanillo, Colima; it was named ''Emilia'' by the NHC. Around the same time, the storm was developing better-defined
rainbands A rainband is a cloud and precipitation structure associated with an area of rainfall which is significantly elongated. Rainbands in tropical cyclones can be either stratiform or convective and are curved in shape. They consist of showers and ...
, and with favorable conditions expected, Emilia was forecast to attain hurricane status; the NHC noted the potential for
rapid deepening Rapid intensification (RI) is any process wherein a tropical cyclone strengthens very dramatically in a short period of time. Tropical cyclone forecasting agencies utilize differing thresholds for designating rapid intensification events, th ...
as the storm passed near southwestern Mexico. Early on July 23, the storm briefly became disorganized, with the low-level circulation becoming ill-defined. Around the same time, Emilia passed about southwest of Manzanillo, which was its closest approach to southwestern Mexico; it is believed to have caused tropical storm force wind gusts along the coastline. Later that day, after turning west-northwestward, the convection increased markedly as an
eyewall The eye is a region of mostly calm weather at the center of a tropical cyclone. The eye of a storm is a roughly circular area, typically in diameter. It is surrounded by the eyewall, a ring of towering thunderstorms where the most severe weath ...
began to form. Operationally, it was estimated to have reached winds of , and it was forecast to continue strengthening to attain Category 2 status on the
Saffir–Simpson scale The Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale (SSHWS) is a tropical cyclone intensity scale that classifies hurricanes—which in the Western Hemisphere are tropical cyclones that exceed the intensities of tropical depressions and tropical sto ...
. However, the NHC later re-assessed Emilia as reaching peak winds of , since the eye feature was temporary and not well-defined. Shortly after reaching peak intensity, a sharp increase in wind shear caused Emilia to weaken quickly to winds of . Operationally, the NHC initially continued to assess the storm as with winds of 70 mph (115 m/h), with hurricane status predicted. However, the decrease in strength became evident on July 24, when dry air became entrained in the circulation; at the same time, the convection became limited to the southern semicircle of the storm. On July 25, the wind shear decreased as the storm turned toward the Baja California Peninsula, despite that tropical cyclones affecting the Baja California Peninsula in the month of July are rare. Convection increased in coverage, and an eye feature re-appeared early on July 26 as it again attained peak winds of . Emilia maintained peak winds for about 18 hours, during which it passed about southwest of
Cabo San Lázaro Cabo San Lázaro is a cape in the municipality of Comondú, in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. Geography The headland lies on a sand bar separating the Pacific Ocean from Bahía Magdalena Magdalena Bay () is a long bay in Comondà ...
, which is a cape located southwest of
Ciudad Constitución Ciudad Constitución is a city in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. It is the seat of the municipality of Comondú Municipality, Comondú. As of 2020, the city had a total population of 43,805 inhabitants. Ciudad Constitución is a small ...
on the southwestern coast of the Baja California peninsula. After brushing the peninsula with its outer rainbands, Emilia turned away from the coast into cooler waters, and subsequently began to weaken rapidly. On July 27 it deteriorated into a tropical depression, and the next day Emilia degenerated into a convective-less remnant low. The low continued westward until turning northward on July 30, and on July 31 the remnants of Emilia dissipated about west-southwest of
San Diego, California San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
.


Preparations and impact

As Emilia first approached the southwest coast of Mexico, officials issued a
tropical storm watch Tropical cyclone warnings and watches are alerts issued by national weather forecasting bodies to coastal areas threatened by the imminent approach of a tropical cyclone of tropical storm or hurricane intensity. They are notices to the local pop ...
from Manzanillo to
Cabo Corrientes, Jalisco Cabo Corrientes is a cape on the Pacific coast of the Mexican state of Jalisco. It marks the southernmost point of the Bahía de Banderas (Bay of Flags), upon which the port and resort city of Puerto Vallarta stands. The municipality in which th ...
; the watch was discontinued 30 hours after it was issued. The storm passed the region on July 22, and is believed to have produced tropical storm force wind gusts along the coastline. A ship recorded winds while Emilia was just off the coast. Further up the coast, in
Mazatlán Mazatlán () is a city in the Mexican list of states of Mexico, state of Sinaloa. The city serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding , known as the Mazatlán Municipality. It is located on the Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast across from th ...
, strong waves from the storm caused beaches to close, while the outer fringes of the storm dropped of precipitation. Inland, the interaction between Emilia and a tropical wave brought increased moisture and precipitation to southeastern and central Mexico. When Emilia began turning toward the Baja California Peninsula, the government of Mexico issued a tropical storm watch from Buena Vista along the
Gulf of California The Gulf of California (), also known as the Sea of Cortés (''Mar de Cortés'') or Sea of Cortez, or less commonly as the Vermilion Sea (''Mar Vermejo''), is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean that separates the Baja California peninsula from ...
to
Bahía Magdalena Magdalena Bay () is a long bay in Comondú Municipality along the western coast of the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. It is protected from the Pacific Ocean by the unpopulated sandy barrier islands of Isla Magdalena and Isla Santa Marg ...
along the Pacific coast. The watch was replaced with a tropical storm warning about 12 hours prior to the closest approach of the storm, and additional warnings were issued along the Pacific coastline as the storm passed. All watches and warnings were discontinued by July 27. Officials prepared two schools as emergency shelters in Cabo San Lucas, where 100 people stayed during the storm. In the area, the threat of the storm resulted in the closure of several bars and restaurants. Across the southern portion of the Baja California peninsula, the storm dropped moderate rainfall, with a total of about reported in
Cabo San Lucas Cabo San Lucas (, "Luke the Evangelist, Saint Luke Cape (geography), Cape"), also known simply as Cabo, is a Resort town, resort city at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, in the Mexican Political divisions of Mexico, state of Baja ...
; the NHC remarked that higher amounts likely occurred in higher elevations. The rainfall caused minor flooding in and around Cabo San Lucas. Along the southern coast of the peninsula, Emilia produced tropical storm force winds; two stations reported sustained winds of , with one of those reporting wind gusts to . The storm caused minor damage to buildings and utility lines. Waves from the storm left minor damage at several marinas in the region, with several being closed for two days. The effects of Emilia reached the southwestern United States. In southern Arizona, a surge of moisture from the storm produced scattered thunderstorms, including one severe thunderstorm in Santa Cruz County. The cell dropped heavy rainfall and large hailstones in a short amount of time; one location reported hail of in diameter. The rainfall, which totaled several inches in some areas, caused
flash flood A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas: washes, rivers, dry lakes and depressions. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, or tropical storm, or by meltwater from ice and snow. Flash f ...
ing, with of floodwater reported at one location along
Interstate 19 Interstate 19 (I-19) is a north–south Interstate Highway located entirely within the US state of Arizona. I-19 travels from Nogales, roughly from the Mexican border, to Tucson, at I-10. The highway also travels through the cities of ...
. Thunderstorms in Graham County produced a wind gust of at the airport in Safford. Unsettled conditions persisted across Arizona for about a week. In southern California, the storm dropped light rainfall, which assisted firefighters in containing a wildfire.


See also

*
List of Baja California Peninsula hurricanes The list of Baja California Peninsula hurricanes includes all of the tropical cyclones that impacted the Baja California Peninsula, which includes the Mexican states of Baja California (state), Baja California and Baja California Sur. In the perio ...
* Other tropical cyclones named Emilia *
Timeline of the 2006 Pacific hurricane season The 2006 Pacific hurricane season was the most active since the 2000 Pacific hurricane season, 2000 season, producing 21 tropical depressions; 19 of which became tropical cyclone, tropical storms or hurricanes. The season officially started o ...
* List of storms in the 2006 Pacific hurricane season


References


External links

* The NHC's advisory archive fo
Tropical Storm Emilia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Emilia (2006) 2006 Pacific hurricane season Eastern Pacific tropical storms Pacific hurricanes in Mexico Tropical Storm Emilia Tropical cyclones in 2006