2004 North Atlantic hurricane season
Hurricane Ivan 2004
Hurricane Ivan devastated Caribbean islands before striking the northern Gulf Coast in September 2004. Its unusual final chapter included a loop through the Atlantic and Florida, followed by redevelopment over the Gulf of Mexico.
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167 mph
Sep 12, 2004 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
Across the Caribbean at major-hurricane strength
Ivan developed southwest of Cape Verde on September 2 and strengthened while moving west at a low latitude. It passed just south of Grenada on September 7 with winds near 125 mph, causing catastrophic damage. Farther west, it passed close to Jamaica, Grand Cayman and the western tip of Cuba while fluctuating between Category 4 and 5 strength.
The archive records maximum one-minute winds of 145 kt on September 11 and a minimum central pressure of 910 hPa early the next day. Grand Cayman suffered severe destruction as the powerful hurricane passed nearby.
Landfall near Gulf Shores
Ivan turned north over the Gulf of Mexico and weakened before reaching Gulf Shores, Alabama, on September 16. Landfall winds were about 120 mph, making it a Category 3 hurricane. Damage extended across coastal Alabama and the Florida Panhandle, followed by heavy rain inland as Ivan moved through the eastern United States.
A second life over the Gulf
After becoming extratropical over Virginia, Ivan's remnant low moved offshore, turned south and crossed Florida. It regenerated in the Gulf on September 22 and reached tropical-storm strength before weakening again. A final landfall near Cameron, Louisiana, brought much less damage. The saved account estimates total losses along Ivan's route at US$26.1 billion in 2004 currency.
IMPACT
Reported impact
| Areas affected | Venezuela |
|---|
Facts from Wikidata.
US impacts by state
Selected NOAA Storm Events records for hurricane, tropical storm and storm surge events during this storm's archived track. Deaths and injuries include reported direct and indirect impacts. These records are incomplete, particularly for indirect deaths, and are not storm-wide totals. Other hazards and impacts outside the US are excluded.
| State or territory | Deaths | Injuries | Property damage (event-year USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 0 | 0 | Not fully reported |
| Florida | 13 | 16 | Not fully reported |
| Georgia | 0 | 0 | Not fully reported |
| Louisiana | 0 | 0 | $15,855,000.00 |
| Mississippi | 1 | 0 | Not fully reported |
Property damage is reported in dollars of the event year, without inflation adjustment; crop damage is excluded. A missing value is not zero. These figures do not replace the storm-wide estimates elsewhere on this page.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
Further reading
NOAA IBTrACS v04r01 historical track archive
Official report (PDF) — National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report.
QUICK ANSWERS
Ivan in brief
What was Hurricane Ivan's highest wind speed?
167 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Sep 11, 2004, 06:00 PM UTC.
What category was Hurricane Ivan?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Sep 9, 2004, 06:00 AM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Hurricane Ivan's lowest pressure?
910 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Sep 12, 2004, 12:00 AM UTC.
When did Hurricane Ivan occur?
The archived track runs from Sep 2, 2004, 06:00 PM UTC to Sep 24, 2004, 06:00 AM UTC, with the tropical stage from Sep 2, 2004, 06:00 PM UTC to Sep 24, 2004, 06:00 AM UTC.
Where did Hurricane Ivan form?
In the North Atlantic basin, in the 2004 season. Its first archived position is 9.7°N, 27.6°W on Sep 2, 2004, 06:00 PM UTC.
Did Hurricane Ivan make landfall?
The archive places its center over land at 2 recorded positions; the strongest is 104 mph on Sep 16, 2004, 09:00 AM UTC. Positions are six-hourly, so this is not a landfall chronology.
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 and Field documentation
Sources & methodology