Hurricane Ella (1978)

Hurricane Ella

Category 4 major hurricane (SSHWS/NWS)
Hurricane Ella southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina
Formed	August 30, 1978
Dissipated	September 5, 1978
Highest winds	1-minute sustained: 140 mph (220 km/h)
Lowest pressure	956 mbar (hPa); 28.23 inHg
Fatalities	None reported
Damage	None
Areas affected	North Carolina, Newfoundland
Part of the 1978 Atlantic hurricane season

Hurricane Ella was the strongest hurricane on record in Canadian waters. It formed on August 30, 1978 to the south of Bermuda, and quickly intensified as it tracked west-northwestward. By September 1, Ella reached winds of 125 mph (205 km/h), and it was expected to pass close to the Outer Banks of North Carolina during the busy Labor Day Weekend. The hurricane became stationary for about 24 hours, and later turned to the northeast away from the coast. On September 4, Ella reached Category 4 status on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale off the coast of Nova Scotia. It subsequently weakened, passing southeast of Newfoundland before being absorbed by a large extratropical cyclone.

In North Carolina, the National Hurricane Center issued a hurricane watch due to the large influx of people expected during the holiday weekend. As such, there was a significant drop in tourism, although no significantly adverse weather occurred along the Outer Banks. High waves and some minor beach erosion was reported, but there were no deaths, injuries, or damage from Ella. By the time the hurricane passed Newfoundland, the strongest winds were to the southeast of the center, and as a result, no significant impact was reported on Canada.

Towards the end of August 1978, a cold front stalled and dissipated across the western Atlantic Ocean, which spawned a tropical disturbance southeast of Bermuda on August 28. A circulation was present, and it developed into a tropical depression on August 30, about 520 miles (840 km) south-southeast of Bermuda. Located to the south of a subtropical ridge, the depression tracked steadily west-northwestward, and it attained tropical storm status 18 hours after forming, based on a nearby ship observation. At 2200 UTC on August 30, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) initiated advisories on the system, but three hours later, as its rapid strengthening became evident, it was upgraded to Tropical Storm Ella.