Hurricane Ivan facts for kids
| Category 5 major hurricane (SSHWS/NWS) | |
Hurricane Ivan at peak intensity in the Yucatán Channel on September 13
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| Formed | September 2, 2004 |
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| Dissipated | September 25, 2004 |
| (Remnant low after September 24) | |
| Highest winds | 1-minute sustained: 165 mph (270 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 910 mbar (hPa); 26.87 inHg |
| Fatalities | 92 direct, 32 indirect |
| Damage | $26.1 billion (2004 USD) |
| Areas affected | Windward Islands (especially Grenada), Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, Barbados, Jamaica, Hispaniola, Grand Cayman, Cuba, Yucatan Peninsula, Eastern United States, Louisiana, Texas, most of the United States Gulf Coast, and Atlantic Canada |
| Part of the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season | |
Hurricane Ivan was a very powerful storm in the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season. It started as a tropical storm in early September. Ivan grew into the ninth named storm and the sixth hurricane of the year.
Ivan became a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. This is the strongest possible category for a hurricane. It was the only Category 5 hurricane that season.
The storm caused a lot of damage in many places. It hit Grenada directly as a Category 3 hurricane. It also caused heavy damage in Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and western Cuba. After reaching its strongest point, Ivan moved across the Gulf of Mexico. It then hit the United States in Orange Beach, Alabama, as a strong Category 3 storm.
Ivan brought heavy rains to the southeastern United States. It even looped across Florida and back into the Gulf of Mexico. The storm's leftover energy later reformed into a new tropical system. This system moved into Louisiana and Texas, but caused less damage. Ivan caused about $13 billion in damage in the United States. This made it one of the costliest hurricanes to hit the country.
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How Hurricane Ivan Formed and Moved
A tropical depression, which is a weak storm, began on September 2. The next day, it became a tropical storm and was named "Ivan." Tropical Storm Ivan moved west and became a hurricane on September 5. Ivan quickly grew stronger. By the end of September 5, it was already a Category 3 hurricane.
Hurricane Ivan weakened a bit due to strong winds high up. But it soon got stronger again, becoming a Category 2 and then a Category 3 hurricane. On September 7, Ivan passed very close to Grenada as a Category 3 storm. It then entered the Caribbean Sea and quickly gained more strength. By the morning of September 8, Hurricane Ivan was a Category 4 hurricane. Later that day, it came close to the Netherlands Antilles.
For about 12 hours on September 9, Hurricane Ivan was a Category 5 hurricane. This is the strongest a hurricane can be. Ivan weakened slightly before it came close to Jamaica on September 10. But it became a Category 5 again on September 11 after moving away from Jamaica. At this point, Ivan had its strongest winds, reaching 165 miles per hour. It weakened again before moving close to the Grand Cayman Islands on September 12.
Hurricane Ivan became a Category 5 hurricane one last time later on September 12. By September 13, it entered the Gulf of Mexico and weakened back to a Category 4 hurricane. Ivan stayed a Category 4 for most of its journey across the Gulf of Mexico.
By midday on September 15, Hurricane Ivan weakened to a Category 3 hurricane. Around 2 a.m. Central Daylight Time on September 16, Hurricane Ivan hit land in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Its winds were about 120 miles per hour. Ivan quickly weakened after hitting land.
On the same day, Hurricane Ivan became a tropical storm in Central Alabama. Even later that day, in Northern Alabama, Tropical Storm Ivan weakened into a tropical depression. Tropical Depression Ivan moved through several states. On September 18, it almost made it back out to the Atlantic Ocean. However, Tropical Depression Ivan ended on September 18 in Eastern Maryland.
The storm's leftover energy moved into the Atlantic Ocean and went south. On September 21, the remains of Ivan crossed into Southern Florida. These remains moved west and went into the Gulf of Mexico. About halfway across, the storm reformed and became a tropical depression again on September 22. Shortly after, it became a tropical storm once more.
Tropical Storm Ivan weakened back to a depression as it moved close to Louisiana and Texas. On September 24, Ivan hit land in Cameron, Louisiana and finally died out over Texas on September 24. The last parts of the storm were seen in the Gulf of Mexico on September 25.
Impacts of Hurricane Ivan
Hurricane Ivan caused about 121 deaths. One person died in Barbados, 2 in the Cayman Islands, 4 in the Dominican Republic, 39 in Grenada, 17 in Jamaica, 1 in Trinidad and Tobago, 54 in the United States, and 3 in Venezuela. In total, Ivan caused about $18 billion in damage. Nearly $13 billion of this damage was in the United States.
Caribbean and Venezuela
Ivan affected many islands in the Caribbean. These included Barbados, Cuba, the Cayman Islands, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, Jamaica, and Trinidad & Tobago. In the Caribbean, Ivan caused about $3 billion in damage. The amount of damage in the Dominican Republic is not known.
The most damage happened in the Cayman Islands, Cuba, and Grenada. The Cayman Islands had $3.5 billion in damage. Cuba had $1.2 billion, and Grenada had $1.1 billion in damage.
In Venezuela, four people died because of Ivan. The total damage in Venezuela is unknown. However, nearly 60 homes on the northern coast were damaged.
United States
The United States was hit hardest by the hurricane when it made landfall in Alabama. About 54 people died in the United States. Around 14 people died in Florida, 8 in North Carolina, 2 in Georgia, and 1 in Mississippi. The other 32 deaths were "indirect," meaning they were related to the storm but not directly caused by its winds or floods.
Ivan also caused $13 billion in damage in the United States. In Cruso, North Carolina, about 17 inches of rain fell. This was the most rain recorded from Ivan in the United States. After Ivan reformed and hit land in Texas, it caused up to 7 inches of rain in Texas and Louisiana.
What Happened After the Storm
Retiring the Name Ivan
Because Hurricane Ivan caused so much damage, its name was removed from the list in the spring of 2005. This means the name Ivan will not be used for another storm in the Atlantic Ocean. Instead, the name "Igor" was used in 2010.
Records Set by Ivan
Hurricane Ivan might have created a giant wave nearly 131 feet high. At the time, Hurricane Ivan was also the third most expensive hurricane in the United States. Later, Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Wilma, and Hurricane Ike caused more damage. So now, Ivan is about the sixth most expensive hurricane in the United States.
Ivan had a very high ACE total of 70.38. This is the second highest for an Atlantic hurricane. Only the 1899 Hurricane San Ciriaco had a higher ACE, with 73.57.
Related pages
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Tropical cyclones of the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season |
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Images for kids
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The eye of Hurricane Ivan seen from the International Space Station on September 11, 2004.
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Hurricane Ivan as it hit land in Baldwin County, Alabama on the U.S. Gulf Coast.
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Ivan as a Category 3 hurricane, east of the Windwards on September 5, 2004.
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Satellite images of Hurricane Ivan at different stages of its path.
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Aftermath of Hurricane Ivan in Grenada.
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Damage from Ivan in the Cayman Islands.
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Hurricane Ivan sank and stacked many boats at Bayou Grande Marina at NAS Pensacola.
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Damage from Ivan at the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge.
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See also
In Spanish: Huracán Ivan para niños
