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All storm pages · 2004 Atlantic season

Hurricane Ivan 2004

Category 5 hurricane · Atlantic · September 2 to September 24, 2004

Ivan produced 70.4 units of accumulated cyclone energy (ACE), the second-most of any Atlantic storm since 1851. Its 120 mph landfall in Alabama on September 16, 2004 ranks tied for the strongest of the 19 storms with a landfall record there. It held major-hurricane strength (Category 3 or higher) for 240 hours, the third-longest spell among Atlantic hurricanes. The name Ivan is on the National Hurricane Center's list of retired Atlantic hurricane names.

Track of Ivan (2004) from the best-track record, coloured by strength10°N20°N30°N90°W80°W70°W60°W50°W40°W30°WBirminghamRoanokeAlabama, 120 mphLouisiana, 35 mphPeak 165 mphFirst recordNot tropicalDepressionTropical stormCategory 1Category 2Category 3Category 4Category 500 and 12 UTCLandfall

Strength over time

Maximum sustained wind of Ivan (2004) over time, in mphTSCat 1Cat 2Cat 3Cat 4Cat 504080120160200Sep 3Sep 7Sep 11Sep 15Sep 19Sep 23mph
  1. First record (tropical depression) far out at sea, at 9.7°N, 27.6°W
  2. Tropical storm far out at sea, at 9.7°N, 30.3°W
  3. Hurricane 845 miles east-northeast of Paramaribo, Suriname
  4. Major hurricane 645 miles east-northeast of Paramaribo, Suriname
  5. Peak 70 miles west of Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland, Jamaica; lowest pressure 910 mb
  6. Landfall Alabama
  7. Landfall Louisiana: depression, 35 mph, 1004 mb
  8. Last record (tropical depression) near Beaumont, Texas

Against every Atlantic storm since 1851

Peak sustained wind165 mph · tied 21st of 1,98830 mph190 mph
Lowest central pressure910 mb · tied 13th of 1,277882 mb1016 mb
Accumulated cyclone energy70.4 · 2nd of 1,7520.173.6
Days as a tropical or subtropical cyclone21.5 days · 6th of 1,9880.0 days31.8 days

More from the record

It lasted 21.50 days as a tropical or subtropical cyclone, the sixth-longest lifespan of the 1,988 Atlantic storms.

Its best track runs 7,690 miles from first to last position, the seventh-longest path in the Atlantic database.

It reached hurricane strength as far south as 9.5°N, the lowest-latitude hurricane position of any Atlantic hurricane.

It reached Category 5 with 165 mph winds, one of 44 Atlantic storms to do so since 1851.

No other storm of the 2004 Atlantic season matched its 165 mph peak; the season had 16 storms.

Its winds climbed 65 mph in the 24 hours to September 5.

In the 2004 season

04080120160200Ivan

Storm 9 of 16 in 2004, hurricane 6 of 9; it formed after Hermine and before Storm 10 of 2004. See the season.

Places the center passed

The center came within 50 miles of at least 8 towns or cities of 10,000 people or more while the system was tropical. Distances are to the interpolated track line, not the storm's edge.

PlaceClosestWind thenDate
Beaumont, Texas2 mi30 mphSeptember 24
Lynchburg, Virginia4 mi15 mphSeptember 18
Port Arthur, Texas4 mi35 mphSeptember 24
Roanoke, Virginia5 mi25 mphSeptember 18
Birmingham, Alabama7 mi40 mphSeptember 16
Johnson City, Tennessee8 mi25 mphSeptember 17
Saint George's, Grenada11 mi125 mphSeptember 7
Chattanooga, Tennessee11 mi30 mphSeptember 17

Every storm within 50 miles of Birmingham, Alabama

Similar landfalls in Alabama

Storms whose strongest landfall record in Alabama came closest to Ivan's 120 mph:

  • Storm 2 of 1916120 mph, July 5, 1916
  • Storm 7 of 1926115 mph, September 20, 1926
  • Sally (2020)110 mph, September 16, 2020
  • Baker (1950)85 mph, August 31, 1950

All 19 storms with a landfall record in Alabama

Also peaked at 165 mph

Of 6 storms from other Atlantic seasons, the nearest in time: