hurricanesmapped

NORTH ATLANTIC · 2004 SEASON

Hurricane Ivan (2004)

Recorded track and intensity · 2 Sept 2004–24 Sept 2004

PEAK INTENSITYCategory 5
THE COMPLETE TRACKOpen in the explorer
IVAN: complete recorded track, 2 Sept 2004–24 Sept 2004Recorded track from 2 Sept 2004 to 24 Sept 2004. Colors show the recorded wind category. The highlighted position follows the replay controls.MEXICOAtlantic Ocean3 Sep, 00:00 UTC4 Sep, 00:00 UTC5 Sep, 00:00 UTC6 Sep, 00:00 UTC7 Sep, 00:00 UTC8 Sep, 00:00 UTC9 Sep, 00:00 UTC10 Sep, 00:00 UTC11 Sep, 00:00 UTC12 Sep, 00:00 UTC13 Sep, 00:00 UTC14 Sep, 00:00 UTC15 Sep, 00:00 UTC16 Sep, 00:00 UTC17 Sep, 00:00 UTC18 Sep, 00:00 UTC19 Sep, 00:00 UTC20 Sep, 00:00 UTC21 Sep, 00:00 UTC22 Sep, 00:00 UTC23 Sep, 00:00 UTC24 Sep, 00:00 UTCPeak · Category 52 SEP24 SEP

Drag to pan · Pinch or Ctrl/⌘ + scroll to zoom. Keyboard: plus or minus to zoom, arrow keys to pan, and 0 to show the full track.

DepressionTropical stormCat 1Cat 2Cat 3Cat 4Cat 5Post-tropical
All times UTC

Wind speed & pressure

11 Sep, 18:00 UTC
Wind speed 145 ktPressure 920 hPa
0900809601601020kthPa2 Sep9 Sep17 Sep24 Sep

Forward speed & ACE

11 Sep, 18:00 UTC
Forward speed 6 ktCumulative ACE 38.95 10⁴ kt²
001537.53075kt10⁴ kt²2 Sep9 Sep17 Sep24 Sep

Hover or tap either graph to follow the track. The slider controls both graphs. Each line uses its matching colored axis.

Forward speed measures the center’s motion. ACE accumulates squared one-minute winds at 00, 06, 12 and 18 UTC during tropical or subtropical stages at 34 kt or above. Missing measurements remain gaps.

Maximum sustained wind145 kt

167 mph / 269 km/h

Minimum recorded pressure910 hPa

12 Sept 2004 · tropical stage

Recorded track duration21.5 days

Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present

Approximate track distance12,400 km

Along the recorded center positions

STORM HISTORY

Track and intensity summary

Ivan is listed in the North Atlantic basin for the 2004 season. Its archived track begins on 2 Sept 2004, 18:00 UTC at 9.7°N, 27.6°W. The first observation lists sustained winds of 25 knots. These dates describe the available observations, which may include stages before and after the tropical cyclone phase.

The first Category 5 observation appears on 9 Sept 2004, 06:00 UTC. The highest recorded tropical-stage one-minute sustained wind is 145 knots (167 mph / 269 km/h), first recorded on 11 Sept 2004, 18:00 UTC at 18°N, 79°W. The minimum recorded tropical-stage central pressure is 910 hPa on 12 Sept 2004, 00:00 UTC.

The full record spans 516 hours and approximately 12,400 kilometers along the recorded center positions. The last recorded position is 30.1°N, 94.2°W on 24 Sept 2004, 06:00 UTC.

This summary is calculated from the NOAA IBTrACS archive. Category 5 describes the storm’s peak recorded wind intensity, not its intensity at landfall or the severity of impacts at any location. Landfall times, damage and casualties have not been independently reviewed for this page.

METHODOLOGY

Data sources and limitations

The map and summary are generated from NOAA’s IBTrACS v04r01 archive. Wind and category use US-agency records; minimum pressure is calculated during the tropical stage, with the archive’s pressure source retained. Category 5 refers to the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale; local agencies may use different classifications. Coastlines use Natural Earth’s 1:10m land data.

Track distance adds great-circle distances between consecutive observations, excluding gaps over 12 hours. This track has no gaps over 12 hours. The line shows the storm’s center, not its size, rainfall or flood extent. Converted wind speeds are rounded to the nearest whole unit.

Archive retrieved

NOAA IBTrACS archive · Field documentation

Sources & methodology

Browse all Category 5 storm pages