Hurricane Ivan was a powerful, long-lived, and deadly tropical cyclone that caused widespread damage in the Caribbean and United States in September 2004. It became the most damaging hurricane to hit Grenada since Janet in 1955, when it passed just south of the island on September 7. The hurricane led to 39 fatalities and $1.1 billion in damage in the country. On three occasions while traversing the Caribbean Sea, Ivan became a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. On September 16, Ivan made landfall in the U.S. state of Alabama. Across the United States, Ivan left $20.5 billion in damage, which was the country's second-costliest hurricane at the time. The hurricane also killed 57 people, including 25 fatalities direclty related to the hurricane's impacts. While moving across the southeastern United States, Ivan produced the largest tornado outbreak associated with a tropical cyclone, with at least 118 confirmed twisters.
The hurricane originated from a tropical wave that exited western Africa. It developed into a tropical depression on September 2 in the open Atlantic Ocean as it moved westward. A day later, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) upgraded it to Tropical Storm Ivan, the ninth named storm of the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season. On September 5, Ivan strengthened into a hurricane, and later a major hurricane. Two days later, it traversed the Windward Islands. Three people died in northern Venezuela, and one person died on both Tobago and Barbados. While passing south of Hispaniola, Ivan killed four people in the Dominican Republic and another three people in Haiti. As a Category 4 hurricane, Ivan passed just south of Jamaica, where the hurricane killed 17 people. It subsequently passed just south of the Cayman Islands as a Category 5 hurricane, where Ivan killed two people. Ivan brushed western Cuba near peak intensity before entering the Gulf of Mexico.
Ivan weakened to Category 3 status before moving ashore the Gulf Coast of the United States, making it the strongest hurricane to hit Alabama since Hurricane Frederic in 1979. The highest wind gust in the state was 145 mph (233 km/h), recorded on a sailboat in Wolf Bay in Baldwin County. Nine people died in the state indirectly related to the hurricane. Ivan produced Category 3 hurricane conditions and a powerful storm surge in both Alabama and northwestern Florida. The storm surge peaked at 12.92 ft (3.94 m) at a station along the Escambia Bay Bridge. The surge and high waves destroyed portions of the bridge carrying Interstate 10, while also damaging other nearby roads and bridges. Across Florida, 27 people were killed, and another two people died in Mississippi. Ivan dropped heavy rain as it moved through the southeastern United States, peaking at 17.00 in (432 mm) in Cruso, North Carolina. The rains produced deadly floods and landslides, killing one person in Georgia, two in Ohio, and two in West Virginia. A boater died in Long Island Sound amid strong winds from Ivan, which transitioned into an extratropical cyclone on September 18 over Virginia. The remnant low turned southwestward and later back to the west. After re-entering the Gulf of Mexico, Ivan regenerated into a tropical depression on September 22, and briefly re-intensified into a tropical storm. It hit Louisiana as a tropical depression on September 24, and dissipated later that day.
Meteorological history
The origins of Ivan were from a tropical wave, which developed into a tropical depression on September 2 to the southwest of Cape Verde. It moved westward and strengthened into Tropical Storm Ivan on September 3, the ninth named storm of the season by the National Hurricane Center (NHC). Two days later, Ivan reached hurricane strength while moving at a low latitude across the Atlantic Ocean, the sixth hurricane of the season. It intensified rapidly, becoming a major hurricane late on September 5, the fourth of the season. Ivan reached Category 4 intensity on the Saffir-Simpson scale at 00:00 UTC on September 6, but rapidly weakened due to dry air. On September 7, Ivan restrengthened and passed just south of Grenada with winds of 125 mph (205 km/h). After entering the Caribbean Sea, Ivan strengthened further and became a Category 5 hurricane on September 9, just north of the Netherlands Antilles. Two days later, the hurricane passed 23 mi (37 km) south of Jamaica. It fluctuated between Category 4 and 5 intensity in the Caribbean, reaching peak winds of 165 mph (265 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 910 millibars (27 inHg). The hurricane passed within 30 miles (50 km) of Grand Cayman on September 12, and two days later passed 17 mi (28 km) west of the westernmost tip of Cuba. Once over the Gulf of Mexico, Ivan weakened slightly as it turned to the north toward the Gulf Coast of the United States. At 06:50 UTC on September 16, Ivan made landfall at Gulf Shores, Alabama, as a Category 3 hurricane, with sustained winds of 120 mph (195 km/h). It weakened quickly over land, falling to tropical depression status over Alabama, and becoming an extratropical cyclone over Virginia on September 18. The remnant low of Ivan drifted off the U.S. mid-Atlantic coast into the Atlantic Ocean, turning southward and moving across Florida. It redeveloped into a tropical depression in the Gulf of Mexico on September 22, and became a tropical storm with a secondary peak of 60 mph (95 km/h). Ivan weakened before making landfall late on September 23 near Cameron, Louisiana as a tropical depression. It dissipated on September 24.
Records
On September 3, Ivan became the southernmost Atlantic hurricane at 9.5° N. Later that day, it became the southernmost major hurricane in the Atlantic at 10.2° N. Ivan was also the southernmost Category 5 hurricane at the time in the Atlantic, at 13.7° N, until it was surpassed by Hurricane Matthew in 2016. Ivan's duration as a Category 4 hurricane or stronger was longer than any other tropical cyclone on record, with a total of 198 hours. It was surpassed by Hurricane Ioke in 2006, which held the intensity for 216 hours. When Ivan was in the Gulf of Mexico on September 15, a tide gauge recorded a wave height of 91 ft (27.7 m). Because the gauge likely did not record the highest wave, researchers estimated that waves could have reached a height of 130 ft (40 m). It was the largest significant wave height in United States territorial waters, surpassing an observation in the Gulf of Alaska in January 1991. The hurricane also produced the fastest seafloor current, at 2.25 metres per second (5.0 mph; 8.1 km/h). After hitting the United States, Ivan produced the largest tornado outbreak associated with a tropical cyclone, with at least 118 confirmed twisters.
Preparations
Caribbean
Due to the threat from Ivan, the first tropical cyclone warnings and watches were issued on September 5. Hurricane warnings were issued from Trinidad and Tobago to Saint Lucia, including Barbados and Grenada. Tropical storm warnings were also issued for the northern coast of Venezuela through the Guajira Peninsula of Colombia. A hurricane watch was also issued for the ABC islands. Over 1,000 people evacuated to emergency shelters on Grenada, including hundreds in low-lying areas in the capital city. Some shelters were damaged during the hurricane, forcing the evacuees to go elsewhere. Overall, the population responded little to the official advisories and recommendations, which potentially contributed to the death toll on the island. More than 1,000 residents of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines evacuated to 28 emergency shelters. Barbadian officials closed schools and government buildings, opened shelters, and turned off the power grid as a preventative measure. Saint Lucia opened four shelters, and Tobago opened seven shelters, housing around 560 people. Schools, businesses, and airports closed in Trinidad and Tobago. Many schools and businesses were closed in the Netherlands Antilles, and about 300 people evacuated their homes on Curaçao. Oil refineries were closed in Curaçao and Aruba, while offshore production halted in Trinidad and Tobago. In Venezuela, thousands of people evacuated from coastal areas. Four airports closed in the country.
As Ivan progressed westward, hurricane warnings were issued for both Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. On September 10, Jamaican Prime Minister P.J. Patterson declared a public emergency. About 500,000 Jamaicans were told to evacuate from coastal areas. More than 1,000 shelters were set up across the country. About 2,600 British vacationers were flown away from Jamaica via the Dominican Republic. The national blood bank requested residents to donate blood, in anticipation of potential injuries. Air Jamaica canceled all flights to and from the island, as well as inter-island flights; aircraft were transported to the United States until the storm passed. Businesses in Kingston were closed, and fishermen secured their boats to trees. Residents in the Cayman Islands stayed in emergency shelters during the hurricane. A tropical storm warning was issued for the southern coast of Haiti, and a hurricane watch was issued for the southern coast of the Dominican Republic. Shelters housed about 4,000 people in Haiti. The World Health Organization and the Pan American Health Organization distributed four emergency kits to southern Haiti, capable of covering basic needs for 40,000 people. A flight from Port-au-Prince to Miami was canceled. The Cuban government issued a hurricane warning for the western portion of the country, including Isla de la Juventud. Throughout Cuba, 2,266,068 people evacuated due to Ivan, about 60% of whom to the houses of relatives. Off Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, about 12,000 people evacuated from Isla Mujeres.
United States
As early as September 9, the NHC anticipated that Ivan would hit southern Florida as a major hurricane within five days. On September 10, Florida Governor Jeb Bush issued a state of emergency. The NHC first issued a tropical storm watch for the Florida Keys on September 12. A mandatory evacuation was issued for all residents and visitors of the Florida Keys, and about half of Monroe County residents evacuated the islands. The mandatory evacuations prevented the delivery of products, which caused widespread fuel and food shortages at commercial establishments.
After Ivan's threat shifted to the northern Gulf Coast, officials issued mandatory evacuations across the gulf coast, estimated at over 1 million people. Alabama Governor Bob Riley issued a state of emergency for the state on September 13. On September 14, the NHC issued hurricane watches for the northern gulf coast, and later that day issued a hurricane warning between from Grand Isle, Louisiana to Apalachicola, Florida. Evacuations along the Florida panhandle occurred as far east as Taylor County, leading to school closures. Mandatory evacuations were issued for coastal areas of Alabama south of Interstate 10, including parts of Mobile. All lanes on I-65 were rerouted to go north to allow for more drivers, known as contraflow. In Mississippi, evacuation of mobile homes and vulnerable areas took place in Hancock, Jackson, and Harrison counties. Around 600,000 people evacuated across southeastern Louisiana, including residents in Greater New Orleans who were advised to evacuate. The Louisiana Superdome was used for special needs residents unable to evacuate. Contraflow was used along Interstate 10 (I-10); however, there were still significant traffic jams, and four elderly women in Louisiana died during the evacuations. Ivan prompted the evacuation of 270 animals at Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo in Gulf Shores, Alabama to a zookeeper's house located 20 mi (32 km) inland. The hurricane also caused several sports matchups to be adjusted, including a soccer match in Tuscaloosa between the University of Alabama and the University of Alabama at Birmingham, a Major League Baseball series between the Florida Marlins and Montreal Expos, and the season opener between the Tennessee Titans and Miami Dolphins.
After Ivan reformed, a tropical storm warning was issued from the mouth of the Mississippi River to Sargent, Texas, which included areas that were under hurricane warnings six days earlier.
Impact
Along its path, Ivan led to 124 fatalities, either directly or indirectly related to the hurricane. The death toll in the Caribbean reached 64, mainly in Grenada and Jamaica. There were also 57 fatalities in the United States, including 25 directly related to the hurricane. Ivan produced more than $21 billion in damage, including $3 billion in the Caribbean, and $18.8 billion in the United States.
Southeastern Caribbean and Venezuela
Passing just north of Grenada, Ivan damaged or destroyed 85% of the structures on the island. The hurricane led to 39 fatalities and $1.1 billion in damage in the country, about 200% of its GDP. Several indirect fatalities occurred in the aftermath of the hurricane, primarily senior citizens. Ivan was considered Grenada's worst hurricane to strike the nation since Hurricane Janet in 1955. Ivan produced sustained winds of 120 mph (190 km/h), with gusts to 133 mph (214 km/h) at Point Salines International Airport. The airport also recorded 5.26 in (134 mm) of precipitation during the hurricane's passage. About 90% of the nation's houses were damaged, of which 30% were destroyed, with more than 14,000 homes impacted. Housing damage consisted of about 45% of the overall damage cost. About 18,000 people were left homeless by the hurricane, and about 700 people sustained injuries from the storm. The nation's emergency operations center was damaged during the storm. A 17th-century prison was damaged, which allowed about 150 inmates to escape during the height of the storm. In the capital city of St. George's, every major building was either damaged or destroyed, including York House, home of the Parliament of Grenada. The hurricane damaged or destroyed 75 primary or secondary schools, with only two left in working condition. All of Grenada was left without power or running water. An estimated 60% of hotel rooms were damaged, which adversely affected tourism. About 70% of the island's crops were destroyed, including the loss of 80% of Grenada's nutmeg, the country's main agricultural export.