&sq=&lang=&file=File:Ella_1970-09-11_1542Z.png) Ella intensifying over the Gulf of Mexico on September 11 | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | September 8, 1970 |
| Dissipated | September 13, 1970 |
| Category 3 major hurricane | |
| 1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS) | |
| Highest winds | 125 mph (205 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 962 mbar (hPa); 28.41 inHg |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 1 direct |
| Areas affected | Nicaragua, Honduras, Belize, Mexico, Texas |
| IBTrACS | |
Part of the 1970 Atlantic hurricane season | |
Hurricane Ella was the second of two major hurricanes to threaten Texas during the 1970 Atlantic hurricane season. The sixth tropical storm and third hurricane of the season, Ella developed on September 8 in the western Caribbean Sea. It moved across the Yucatán Peninsula as a tropical depression before rapidly intensifying into a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico. Initially the hurricane was forecast to hit southern Texas, which prompted evacuations and hurricane warnings. This occurred about a month after Hurricane Celia caused significant damage across the region. Hurricane Ella ultimately turned to the west and maintained a track that spared Texas from significant impact. On September 12, it moved ashore in northeastern Mexico in the state of Tamaulipas with winds of 125 mph (201 km/h). The hurricane left one death due to a destroyed house. Ella weakened while moving inland and dissipated on September 13.