Hurricane Ella (1958)

Wind gusts in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands were between 40 and 50 mph (64 and 80 km/h).^[1] Heavy rainfall in the former caused local flooding. Damage was minor in both locations, confined mostly to crops.^[3] In preparation for Ella on the island of Hispaniola, a hurricane warning was issued from Barahona, Dominican Republic, and along the Haitian coastline to Saint-Marc.^[4] Ella brought heavy rains, peaking at 9.63 in (245 mm) in Polo, Barahona.^[5] Damage from the resultant flooding in southwestern Dominican Republic reached $100,000.^[1] Additionally, wind gusts up to 37 mph (60 km/h) were reported in Santo Domingo. Heavy precipitation in Haiti caused flash floods that killed 30 people near Aux Cayes, and three other people were listed as missing.^[1] As much as 5 to 6 ft (1.5 to 1.8 m) 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.^[3] There was no monetary damage estimate, though losses in Haiti were noted to have been "considerable".^[1]

Flooding also occurred in Cuba. Hundreds were evacuated from their homes in four different provinces in Cuba, including 400 peasant families in Oriente Province.^[6] Near Santiago de Cuba, 25 houses were swept away after the Bayamo River 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.^[7] Hundreds of livestock drowned, and telephone and telegraph services were disrupted in many areas. Losses in Cuba were estimated to have reached $100,000.^[1] Ella had a role in the Cuban Revolution 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 taught his illiterate comrades that entities like tropical cyclones are named in alphabetical order.^[8]

The outer bands of Ella produced gale-force winds in the Florida Keys, causing damage mainly to antennas, fences, shrubbery, and signs. Winds on Stock Island damaged and overturned 4 trailers. Further north in Miami, a freighter was disabled and had to be towed in to port by the United States Coast Guard.^[1] Due to fears of a storm similar to Hurricane Audrey in the previous year, some residents evacuated southwestern Louisiana. An estimated 1,500 fled inland as Ella approached, leaving only 100 people to ride out the storm.^[9] In Louisiana, squalls from Ella caused the collision of two ocean-bound freighters along the Mississippi River near New Orleans.^[10] Impact elsewhere in Louisiana was limited to minor damage to rice crops in the southwestern portion of the state.^[3] On 35 oil platforms offshore of Houston, Texas, 1,400 people were alerted about possible evacuations if Ella were to approach the area.^[11] Along the coast, there were evacuations in Indianola, Port Alto, Port O'Connor, and Sabine Pass.^[12] Ella brought heavy rains to eastern and southern Texas, including 13.1 in (330 mm) in Galveston.^[13] Precipitation brought minor flooding to low-lying areas of the Bolivar Peninsula, Galveston Island, Kemah, La Marque, the Matagorda Peninsula, Seabrook, and Texas City.^[14] Ella also brought swells to the coast of Texas. A portion of Texas State Highway 87 was closed due to inundation between Sabine Pass and High Island. Further south, tidal flooding along Texas State Highway 316 caused the closure of the portion near Indianola. Offshore, a 65 ft (20 m) 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 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.^[12]

• Tropical cyclone
• Other storms named Ella