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.

The origins of Emilia can be traced to a tropical wave that crossed northern Central America into the eastern Pacific Ocean on July 16.

[2] 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.

[3] 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.

[1] Upon becoming a tropical cyclone, the depression existed in an area of weak steering currents,[4] though a general motion to the north-northwest was influenced by a large subtropical ridge over the southwest United States.

[4] Convection increased near the center despite the shear, and on July 22 the depression attained tropical storm status about 400 mi (640 km) south of Manzanillo, Colima; it was named Emilia by the NHC.

[7] Around the same time, Emilia passed about 175 mi (282 km) 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.

[10] 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.

The cell dropped heavy rainfall and large hailstones in a short amount of time; one location reported hail of 1.75 inches (44 mm) in diameter.