After remaining a weak depression for several days, it rapidly organized on September 29 to attain tropical storm status.

Later that day, Reconnaissance Aircraft confirmed the existence of the hurricane, with the flight reporting a well-defined, circular 8-mile (13 km) wide eye.

The hurricane continued west-northwestward as it entered the Caribbean, and early on October 2 its winds reached 140 miles per hour (230 km/h).

Thirty hours later, Flora intensified slightly further and attained peak winds of 145 mph (233 km/h) while located about 105 miles (169 km) south of the border of Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

A high pressure system to its north turned the motion of the hurricane to a westward drift, causing it to weaken quickly over land.

An anticyclone to the west of Flora turned the hurricane to the north, bringing it ashore near Santa Cruz del Sur on October 7 with winds of around 90 mph (140 km/h).

[2] Flora remained a hurricane while drifting over land due to abundant moisture and a favorable upper-level environment.

Flora gradually lost its convection over the north Atlantic Ocean, and transitioned into an extratropical cyclone on October 12 while located 270 miles (430 km) east-southeast of Cape Race, Newfoundland.

The advisories also recommended small craft throughout the Windward Islands to remain at harbor and for shipping in the path of the hurricane to advise extreme caution.

[7] On October 2, two days before it made landfall on southwestern Hispaniola, the San Juan Weather Bureau issued a gale warning from Barahona in the Dominican Republic to Sud-Est, Haiti.

[9] On the day of when Flora made landfall, advisories recommended all citizens on beaches and in low-lying areas west of Santo Domingo to evacuate.

[10] Carmelo Di Franco, the provisional Director of Civic Defense for the Dominican Republic, organized safety procedures and the dissemination of tropical cyclone bulletins from the San Juan Weather Bureau.

Di Franco also organized for the transmission of hurricane emergency information to citizens, believed to reduce the loss of life.

[4] On the afternoon before the hurricane struck, the head of the Haitian Red Cross prohibited radio broadcasts of tropical cyclone advisories for fear of panic among citizens.

[11] Officials at the Cuban National Observatory issued radio bulletins on the hurricane, which included the position of Flora, its intensity, direction of motion, and necessary warnings.

[13] Forecasters advised those in The Bahamas to quickly complete preparations, though the eye of the hurricane did not pass over the archipelago until four days later.

[24] When Flora passed the island and the winds turned to the southwest, many small boats in the westward facing harbor were sunk.

[2] Strong northerly winds from Flora eroded the northern beaches in the Cuban province of Camagüey by up to 3,300 feet (1 km).

Due to its slow movement across Cuba, the storm dropped extreme rainfall amounts on the eastern side of the island.

Further, Flora destroyed an estimated 50% of winter rice crops in Camagüey and Oriente provinces – roughly 25% of production nationally.

[2][38] Heavy rainfall fell across the island of Jamaica due to southwest flow into the mountains on Flora's southern periphery over several days.

The maximum amount recorded was 60 inches (1,500 mm) at Spring Hill persistent,[33] which led to numerous landslides across the eastern portion of the island.

[23] The destruction of the Tobagonian rainforests resulted in a continual decline of agriculture on the island due to animals previously in the forest eating the crops for food.

[43] In the Dominican Republic, damage reports were largely unknown by a month after the hurricane passed the island, primarily in the western provinces.

One official estimated several months would pass before survey teams could obtain information on loss of life and overall damages.

[37] Amidst a political crisis between Cuba and the United States, the Cuban Red Cross refused aid from the American Red Cross, referring to the offer of aid as hypocritical "by a country [the United States] that is trying to destroy us [Cuba] with economic blockades and other measures.

"[45] The Soviet Union delivered large quantities of food, medicine, and other supplies vital to recovery, while the other satellite states in Europe promised aid.