Initially, the depression tracked north-northwestward, crossing over western Cuba on August 1 and becoming Tropical Storm Celia.

The storm entered the Gulf of Mexico, and due to the warm sea surface temperatures, Celia intensified into a hurricane later that day.

Storm surge and swells lashed the west coast of Florida, especially the Panhandle, causing eight people to drown.

However, falling atmospheric pressures over the Southern United States eroded a subtropical ridge, causing the system to decelerate by July 30.

[2] On August 1, at 0000 UTC, the depression reached tropical storm intensity as it made landfall in western Pinar del Río Province, Cuba.

After reaching the southeastern Gulf of Mexico on August 1, warm sea surface temperatures caused the storm to undergo rapid deepening.

[2] Satellite imagery indicated that Celia was becoming significantly more organized, and at 1800 UTC, the storm became a hurricane with 75 miles per hour (121 km/h) winds.

Celia's pressure continued to drop, however, as its wind speeds remained steady, reaching a minimum of 983 mbar (29.0 inHg).

[3][4] Due to Celia's steady west-northwestward motion across the Gulf of Mexico, the National Hurricane Center marked that the storm "aimed at the Corpus Christi area like a wild beast stalking its prey.

[4] At the time of landfall, which took place at 2100 UTC on August 3, Celia attained its peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph (220 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of 944 mbar (27.9 inHg).

[3] Celia "maintained strength for an unusually long time" after moving inland,[4] weakening to a tropical storm at 1200 UTC on August 4.

[6] The National Hurricane Center also issued tropical cyclone warnings and watches along the coast of Texas in anticipation of the storm.

[10] As a tropical depression, Celia dropped heavy rains over western Cuba, resulting in major flooding.

[2] While over the central Gulf of Mexico, strong rip currents and large swells affected Florida, measuring up to 10 feet (3.0 m) in the Panhandle.

[10] Downed trees caused slight property damage in Amistad Dam, a municipality in Val Verde County.

Another tornado spawned nearby caused "considerable" damage to the Dilley Civic Center, destroyed machine sheds, unroofed outbuildings, and felled many electrical poles.

[26] A tornado in Port O'Connor, destroyed a 30 by 230 feet (9.1 by 70.1 m) boat storage shed, which was owned by Cooperative Weather Observed Bill H.

As a result, the entire city lost telephone and electrical services and there was "lots of damage" to trees, 80% of houses, and roofs.

The heaviest rainfall totals observed from the storm also fell in Nueces County, with 7.26 inches (184 mm) of precipitation reported in Robstown.

[10] The University of Corpus Christi, a private institution located on Ward Island, suffered so much damage that it could not afford to rebuild, and it was sold to the State in 1973.

Around 800–900 family housing units at the Naval Air Station Corpus Christi were considered uninhabitable, indicating $35 million in losses at that location.

[33] While crossing the Gulf of Mexico, Celia produced tides 1 to 2 feet (0.30 to 0.61 m) above normal on the southwestern coast of Louisiana.

As a result, slight erosion of Louisiana Highway 82 occurred in Cameron Parish between Johnson Bayou and Holly Beach.

[5] Following the storm, then-President of the United States Richard Nixon declared seven counties in Texas as disaster areas – Aransas, Bee, Jim Wells, Live Oak, Nueces, Refugio, and San Patricio – allowing affected residents to be eligible for federal relief.

[35] Immediately, then-Governor of Texas Preston Smith sent National Guardsmen to the area to patrol and assist with recovery.

[36] About a week after the storm, Governor Smith stated that the most urgent need was financial assistance, and designated the American Red Cross as the official relief agency.

The American Red Cross chapters in Colbert and Lauderdale counties in Alabama announced that they were accepting donations to send to southern Texas.

[37] In Corpus Christi, officials applied to pollution control officers for permission to burn 1,300,000 cubic yards (990,000 m3) of debris.