Dalilia crossed 140°W shortly after reaching its maximum intensity and entered the Central Pacific Hurricane Center's area of responsibility.

Hurricane Dalilia passed just south of the Hawaiian Islands as a tropical storm before dissipating July 21 as it interacted with a trough.

Hurricane Dalilia originated out of a tropical disturbance embedded in the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) during early July 1989 off the west coast of Africa.

By July 9, the disturbance had entered the eastern Pacific Ocean and sufficient convective development to prompt Dvorak Technique intensity estimates.

Continued development took place in the following days; on July 11, the National Hurricane Center determined that the disturbance spawned a tropical depression 792 mi (1,275 km) southwest of Cabo San Lucas.

[4] Tracking in a general west-northwest direction, the depression intensified into a tropical storm late on July 12, at which time it was given the name Dalilia by the NHC.

[1] Dalilia rapidly intensified after becoming a tropical storm, and several computer models predicted it to reach winds of 100 mph (155 km/h) by July 15.

[7] While Dalilia developed well-defined spiral convective bands, it had remained a minimal hurricane, since no eye had formed.

Later that day, Dalilia further weakened to a tropical depression, with the Central Pacific Hurricane Center issuing their final advisory at that time.

[12] Hurricane Dalilia contributed to a record rainfall total for the month of July in Honolulu with 2.33 in (59 mm) falling during the storm's passage.