Hurricane Ella brought flooding to the
Greater Antilles
The Greater Antilles ( es, Grandes Antillas or Antillas Mayores; french: Grandes Antilles; ht, Gwo Zantiy; jam, Grieta hAntiliiz) is a grouping of the larger islands in the Caribbean Sea, including Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and ...
and
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
in September 1958. The fifth
named storm
Tropical cyclones and subtropical cyclones are named by various warning centers to simplify communication between forecasters and the general public regarding forecasts, watches and warnings. The names are intended to reduce confusion in the ...
and third hurricane of the
annual season, Ella developed from 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 ...
located just east of the
Lesser Antilles
The Lesser Antilles ( es, link=no, Antillas Menores; french: link=no, Petites Antilles; pap, Antias Menor; nl, Kleine Antillen) are a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. Most of them are part of a long, partially volcanic island arc betwe ...
on August 30. Initially a tropical depression, it strengthened into Tropical Storm Ella six hours later. The system crossed the
Leeward Islands
french: Îles-Sous-le-Vent
, image_name =
, image_caption = ''Political'' Leeward Islands. Clockwise: Antigua and Barbuda, Guadeloupe, Saint kitts and Nevis.
, image_alt =
, locator_map =
, location = Caribbean SeaNorth Atlantic Ocean
, coor ...
and entered the
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...
late on August 30. Ella headed westward and by August 31, intensified into a Category 1 hurricane. Hours later, it strengthened into a Category 2 hurricane on the
Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale. The storm curved northwestward while south of
Hispaniola
Hispaniola (, also ; es, La Española; Latin and french: Hispaniola; ht, Ispayola; tnq, Ayiti or Quisqueya) is an island in the Caribbean that is part of the Greater Antilles. Hispaniola is the most populous island in the West Indies, and th ...
and as a result,
struck the
Tiburon Peninsula
The Tiburon Peninsula (french: Péninsule de Tiburon), or The Xaragua Peninsula, simply "the Tiburon" (''le Tiburon''), is a region of Haiti encompassing most of Haiti's southern coast.
It starts roughly at the southernmost point of the Haiti-D ...
of
Haiti
Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...
on September 1. Flooding in that country killed 30 people in
Aux Cayes and left 3 other missing. Additionally, thousands were left homeless, about one-third of crops were washed out, and numerous cattle were killed.
After re-emerging into the Caribbean Sea, Ella made landfall on September 2, near
Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba is the second-largest city in Cuba and the capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province. It lies in the southeastern area of the island, some southeast of the Cuban capital of Havana.
The municipality extends over , and contains t ...
,
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
. Heavy rainfall lead to flooding, which in turn caused hundreds to flee their homes, and resulted in 5 fatalities. Hundreds of livestock drowned, and telephone and telegraph services were disrupted in many areas. The storm became disorganized while moving across the southern coast of Cuba and weakened to a tropical storm by later on September 2. Ella reached the Gulf of Mexico on September 4 and briefly re-strengthened. However, it began to weaken again while approaching the
Gulf Coast of the United States
The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South, is the coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The coastal states that have a shoreline on the Gulf of Mexico are Texas, Louisiana, Mississ ...
. The storm made landfall as a weak tropical storm near
Corpus Christi, Texas
Corpus Christi (; Ecclesiastical Latin: "'' Body of Christ"'') is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat and largest city of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patrici ...
on September 6. It rapidly weakened inland and dissipated later that day. Rainfall and rough surf caused both inland and
coastal flooding
Coastal flooding normally occurs when dry and low-lying land is submerged by seawater. The range of a coastal flooding is a result of the elevation of floodwater that penetrates the inland which is controlled by the topography of the coastal land ...
in Texas. Offshore, the captain of a snapper boat fell overboard and went missing; he was later presumed to have drowned.
Meteorological history
A tropical wave was first observed near 50°W on August 29. Later that day,
reconnaissance aircraft
A reconnaissance aircraft (colloquially, a spy plane) is a military aircraft designed or adapted to perform aerial reconnaissance with roles including collection of imagery intelligence (including using photography), signals intelligence, as ...
flight reported a wind shirt and above average shower and thunderstorm activity, but no low-level circulation.
At 0600 UTC on August 30, a tropical depression developed just east of the Lesser Antilles. Six hours later, the depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Ella. The storm moved through the Leeward Islands and entered the Caribbean Sea late on August 30. A reconnaissance aircraft into Ella reported sustained winds between 55 and 60 mph (95 km/h). It was around that time that the
Weather Bureau
The National Weather Service (NWS) is an agency of the United States federal government that is tasked with providing weather forecasts, warnings of hazardous weather, and other weather-related products to organizations and the public for the p ...
Office in
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan (, , ; Spanish for "Saint John") is the capital city and most populous municipality in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2020 census, it is the 57th-largest city under the jur ...
began issuing bulletins and advisories.
Ella strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane at 1200 UTC on August 31, six hours later, before becoming a Category 2 hurricane. On September 1, Ella curved west-northwestward, and by later that day, made landfall on the Tiburon Peninsula of Haiti with winds of 110 mph (175 km/h). However, the storm was operationally thought to have remained offshore.
Ella re-emerged into the Caribbean Sea on September 1, and on September 2, the storm made landfall near
Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba is the second-largest city in Cuba and the capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province. It lies in the southeastern area of the island, some southeast of the Cuban capital of Havana.
The municipality extends over , and contains t ...
, Cuba as a Category 1 Hurricane. Rough terrain over the island caused Ella to weaken to a Category 1 hurricane on September 2. Later that day, it further weakened to a tropical storm. The storm re-strengthened to a 70 mph (110 km/h) before reaching the Gulf of Mexico on September 4. Ella maintained this intensity for approximately 48 hours while moving west-northwestward, but began to weaken again on September 6. Hours later, the storm made landfall near Corpus Christi, Texas with winds of 45 mph (75 km/h). It weakened back to a tropical depression and dissipated by late on September 6.
Preparations and impact
![Ella_1958_rainfall](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/Ella_1958_rainfall.png)
Wind gusts in
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
and the
Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands ( es, Islas Vírgenes) are an archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. They are geologically and biogeographically the easternmost part of the Greater Antilles, the northern islands belonging to the Puerto Rico Trench and St. Croix ...
were between .
Heavy rainfall in the former caused local flooding. Damage was minor in both locations, confined mostly to crops.
In preparation for Ella on the island of Hispaniola, a hurricane warning was issued from
Barahona,
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...
, and along the Haitian coastline to
Saint-Marc
Saint-Marc ( ht, Sen Mak) is a commune in western Haiti in Artibonite departement. Its geographic coordinates are . At the 2003 Census the commune had 160,181 inhabitants. It is one of the biggest cities, second to Gonaïves, between Port-au-P ...
.
Ella brought heavy rains, peaking at in
Polo, Barahona. Damage from the resultant flooding in southwestern Dominican Republic reached $100,000.
Additionally, wind gusts up to were reported in
Santo Domingo
, total_type = Total
, population_density_km2 = auto
, timezone = AST (UTC −4)
, area_code_type = Area codes
, area_code = 809, 829, 849
, postal_code_type = Postal codes
, postal_code = 10100–10699 (Distrito Nacional)
, websi ...
. Heavy precipitation in Haiti caused flash floods that killed 30 people near
Aux Cayes, and three other people were listed as missing.
As much as of water covered roads in low-lying areas. A combination of strong winds and flooding also rendered thousands homeless. Damage to agriculture was heavy, with numerous cattle killed and about one-third of crops washed out, mostly to bananas and sugar cane.
There was no monetary damage estimate, though losses in Haiti were noted to have been "considerable".
Flooding also occurred in Cuba. Hundreds were evacuated their homes in four different provinces in Cuba, including 400 peasant families in
Oriente Province
Oriente (, "East") was the easternmost province of Cuba until 1976. The term "Oriente" is still used to refer to the eastern part of the country, which currently is divided into five different provinces. Fidel and Raúl Castro were born in a sm ...
.
Near
Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba is the second-largest city in Cuba and the capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province. It lies in the southeastern area of the island, some southeast of the Cuban capital of Havana.
The municipality extends over , and contains t ...
, 25 houses were swept away after the
Bayamo River
Bayamo River is a river of southern Cuba. It is a tributary of the Cauto River.
See also
*List of rivers of Cuba
This is an incomplete list of rivers of Cuba, arranged from west to east, by coast, with respective tributaries indented under each l ...
overflowed. In the same area, a woman and her four sons drowned due to the swollen river. Additionally, a body of a man was recovered near
Santa Cruz del Sur
Santa Cruz del Sur is a town and municipality in Cuba. It is located in Camagüey Province south of the provincial capital of Camagüey. It lies on the Caribbean coast.
Geography
The municipality is divided into the barrios of Buenaventura, Do ...
. Hundreds of livestock drowned, and telephone and telegraph services were disrupted in many areas. Losses in Cuba were estimated to have reached $100,000.
Ella had a role in the
Cuban Revolution
The Cuban Revolution ( es, Revolución Cubana) was carried out after the 1952 Cuban coup d'état which placed Fulgencio Batista as head of state and the failed mass strike in opposition that followed. After failing to contest Batista in cou ...
as the government troops of
Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar stayed in their barracks during the storm while the rebels made progress under cover of Ella. Later, when the guerrillas heard about Hurricane Fifi on the radio,
Che Guevara
Ernesto Che Guevara (; 14 June 1928The date of birth recorded on /upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Ernesto_Guevara_Acta_de_Nacimiento.jpg his birth certificatewas 14 June 1928, although one tertiary source, (Julia Constenla, quoted ...
taught his illiterate comrades that entities like tropical cyclones are named in alphabetical order.
The outer bands of Ella produced gale force winds in the
Florida Keys
The Florida Keys are a coral cay archipelago located off the southern coast of Florida, forming the southernmost part of the continental United States. They begin at the southeastern coast of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami, and e ...
, causing damage mainly to antennas, fences, shrubbery, and signs. Winds on
Stock Island damaged and overturned 4 trailers. Further north in
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
, a freighter was disabled and had to be towed in to port by the
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...
.
Due to fears of a storm similar to
Hurricane Audrey
Hurricane Audrey was one of the deadliest tropical cyclones in U.S. history, killing at least 416 people in its devastation of the southwestern Louisiana coast in 1957. Along with Hurricane Alex in 2010, it was also the strongest June hur ...
in the
previous year, some residents evacuated southwestern
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
. An estimated 1,500 fled inland as Ella approached, leaving only 100 people to ride out the storm. In Louisiana, squalls from Ella caused the collision of two ocean-bound freighters along the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...
near
. Impact elsewhere in Louisiana was limited to minor damage to rice crops in the southwestern portion of the state.
On 35
oil platform
An oil platform (or oil rig, offshore platform, oil production platform, and similar terms) is a large structure with facilities to extract and process petroleum and natural gas that lie in rock formations beneath the seabed. Many oil platfor ...
s offshore of
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
, Texas, 1,400 people were alerted about possible evacuations if Ella were to approach the area.
Along the coast, there were evacuations in
Indianola, Port Alto,
Port O'Connor, and
Sabine Pass
Sabine Pass is the natural outlet of Sabine Lake into the Gulf of Mexico. It borders Jefferson County, Texas, and Cameron Parish, Louisiana.
History Civil War
Two major battles occurred here during the American Civil War, known as the First and ...
.
Ella brought heavy rains to eastern and southern Texas, including in
Galveston
Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding Galvesto ...
. Precipitation brought minor flooding to low-lying areas of the
Bolivar Peninsula
Bolivar Peninsula ( ) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Galveston County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,417 at the 2010 census. The communities of Port Bolivar, Crystal Beach, Caplen, Gilchrist, and High Island are located on ...
,
Galveston Island
Galveston Island ( ) is a barrier island on the Texas Gulf Coast in the United States, about southeast of Houston. The entire island, with the exception of Jamaica Beach, is within the city limits of the City of Galveston in Galveston County.
T ...
,
Kemah,
La Marque, the
Matagorda Peninsula
The Matagorda Peninsula () is a narrow spit of land on the southeastern coast of Texas in the United States.
The peninsula is in Matagorda County, Texas. The barrier island lies between Matagorda Bay, an estuary, and the Gulf of Mexico. The Tex ...
,
Seabrook, and
Texas City
Texas City is a city in Galveston County, Texas, Galveston County in the U.S. state of Texas. Located on the southwest shoreline of Galveston Bay, Texas City is a busy deepwater port on Texas's Gulf Coast, as well as a petroleum-refining and pe ...
.
Ella also brought swells to the coast of Texas. A portion of
Texas State Highway 87
State Highway 87 (SH 87) runs for between Galveston, Texas (at a terminus shared with Interstate 45 and Spur 342) to U.S. Highway 59 and U.S. Highway 84 in Timpson, Texas.
Highway 87 has a notable stretch between Sea Rim State Park and High I ...
was closed due to inundation between Sabine Pass and
High Island
Geologically, a high island or volcanic island is an island of volcanic origin. The term can be used to distinguish such islands from low islands, which are formed from sedimentation or the uplifting of coral reefs (which have often formed ...
. Further south, tidal flooding along
Texas State Highway 316
State Highway 316 (SH 316) is a Texas state highway that runs from near Port Lavaca southeast to the ghost town of Indianola. This route was designated on April 1, 1939.
Route description
SH 316 begins at a junction with SH 238. It heads so ...
caused the closure of the portion near Indianola. Offshore, a shrimp trawler sank during the storm, after being smashed against the rocks near Galveston. The crew fled to the life boats and were later rescued by a
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...
Patrol Vessel. The captain of the snapper boat ''E. W. Fowler'' went missing after he was washed overboard; the man was later presumed to have drowned.
See also
*
Tropical cyclone
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...
*
Other storms named Ella
References
{{1958 Atlantic hurricane season buttons
Ella (1958)
Ella
Ella may refer to:
* Ella (name), most often a feminine given name, but also used as a surname
Places United States
* Ella, Kentucky, an unincorporated community
* Ella, Oregon, an unincorporated community
* Ella, Pennsylvania, an unincorporate ...
Ella (1958)
Ella (1958)
Ella (1958)
Ella (1958)
Ella (1958)