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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. ==Meteorological history== 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. Tropical Storm Ella intensified quickly and reached hurricane status late on August 31, based on confirmation from nearby ship reports and a Hurricane Hunters flight.〔 At the time, the hurricane was forecast to avoid making landfall on North Carolina and ultimately turn northeastward, although it was expected to pass within 50 miles (85 km) of land during the busy Labor Day Weekend. On September 1, Ella reached a preliminary peak intensity of 125 mph (205 km/h), a major hurricane and a Category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. At the same time a short-wave trough reached the East Coast of the United States. The trough caused the hurricane to decelerate and turn slightly to the north, and a ridge behind the trough caused Ella to become nearly stationary for 24 hours.〔 During that time, the threat toward the North Carolina coast diminished, and concurrently, the winds decreased as the convection diminished. On September 3, another trough exited the coast of the United States, allowing the hurricane to accelerate toward the northeast through the diminished ridge.〔 By that time, the winds had decreased to 80 mph (130 km/h),〔 although forecasters expected baroclinic instability to maintain much of the cyclone's remaining force. Instead of continued weakening, the hurricane began to significantly re-intensify. Early on September 4, Ella again reached major hurricane status, and later that day it peaked with winds of 140 mph (220 km/h); at the time it was about 335 miles (540 km) south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and its peak winds were measured by Hurricane Hunters.〔 This made it the strongest hurricane ever recorded in Canadian waters. Weakening began immediately after peak intensity due to cooler water temperatures.〔 Early on September 5, Ella passed very near Cape Race, although the strongest winds were south and east of the center. Associated convection became completely removed from the center, and the hurricane became extratropical as it was absorbed by a larger mid-latitude system.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Hurricane Ella (1978)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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