 A tropical wave spawned a tropical depression near the Lesser Antilles on August 30, which quickly became Tropical Storm Ella. It quickly intensified in the eastern Caribbean into a hurricane by August 31 while passing south of Puerto Rico; there, the outer rainbands caused some flooding that caused minor damage. On September 1, Ella strengthened to winds of 110 mph (180 km / h), as measured by the Hurricane Hunters. At that intensity, the hurricane passed just south of the Dominican Republic before making landfall in southwestern Haiti. In the Dominican Republic, heavy rainfall and floods caused $ 100,000 in damage, mostly in the country's southwestern portion. Heavy rainfall caused widespread flooding in southwestern Haiti, and thousands of people became homeless after their houses were damaged. Near Les Cayes, 30 people were killed due to flash flooding.
