Hurricane Ivan
 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. |
- This article deals with the 2004 Hurricane Ivan. For other storms of the same name, see Hurricane Ivan (disambiguation).
|
| |
| Formed | September 2, 2004 as Tropical Depression Nine |
| Wind Speed | Currently: 150 mph (240 km/h) |
| Category |
Currently: Category Four Previously: Category Five |
| Territories affected | |
Hurricane Ivan, nicknamed "Ivan the Terrible", is the ninth named storm and the fifth hurricane of the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season. Ivan reached "unprecedented" intensity at low latitudes, peaking at 135 mph (215 km/h), making it a Category 4 Hurricane at only 10.6° N. Ivan struck Barbados, Tobago, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
After briefly being downgraded to Category 3 intensity, Ivan struck Grenada directly on mid-day September 7th with Category 3 winds. It has since moved away from the islands. Ivan intensified into a Category 5, the first of its kind in the 2004 season.
Storm history
On September 2, 2004, tropical depression nine formed about 555 miles (890 km) southwest of the Cape Verde Islands. The depression strengthened gradually to tropical storm status about 610 miles (980 km) southwest of the Cape Verde Islands, moving west-northwesterly at around 16 mph (25 km/h), and was given the name Ivan on September 3.
Early September 5, Tropical Storm Ivan's winds strengthened to hurricane status 1210 miles (1950 km) east-southeast of the Lesser Antilles. By 5pm EDT, Ivan had rapidly strengthened to a strong category three hurricane (nearly a category four) on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale with winds of 125 mph (200 km/h). The National Weather Service noted such rapid strengthening, as with Ivan, is unprecedented at such low latitudes in the Atlantic basin.
As Ivan travelled west, it weakened to a Category 2 hurricane. But on September 7, shortly after passing over Grenada on its way into the Caribbean Sea, it reattained Category 4 intensity with winds of 135 mph (215 km/h). St. Vincent, Grenada and Barbados were thereafter battered by the hurricane for several hours.
As Ivan was passing just north of the Windward Netherlands Antilles and Aruba on September 9, sustained wind speed increased to 160 mph (260 km/h) thus classifying Ivan as a Category 5 hurricane. Following this milestone, Ivan fluctuated between category 4 and 5 status, which is typical of intense hurricanes.
Ivan continued west-northwest, heading straight for Jamaica. As Ivan approached the island late on September 10, it began a westward jog which kept the eye and the strongest winds to the south and west. After clearing Jamaica, it resumed its more northerly track, and reattained Category 5 intensity with sustained windspeeds of 165 mph (270 km/h). With minimum recorded central pressure at 910 millibars, Ivan is ranked as the sixth most intense Atlantic hurricane on record.
Ivan spent most of September 11 moving to the west of Jamaica and has since and is currently affecting the island of Grand Cayman.
Current status
As of 5pm EDT September 12 (2100 UTC), Ivan was 225 miles (365 km) SE of the western tip of Cuba. The storm is still moving west-northwest at 10 mph (17 km/h). Motion more toward the northwest is expected within the next 12 to 24 hours. Ivan remains a strong Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph (240 km/h). Further fluctuations in intensity are expected and Ivan could regain Category 5 strength.
The forecast track then brings Ivan northwest over the western tip of Cuba by the afternoon of September 13, then into the eastern Gulf of Mexico. The last Category 5 hurricane to make landfall in the Carribean was Hurricane David in 1979 which devastated the Dominican Republic.
The long-range forecast brings Ivan north, well away from the Florida Keys and the coast of the Florida peninsula, and predicts a strike on the Florida Panhandle on the late evening of September 15 to the early morning hours of September 16. However, slight changes in Ivan's track could put the storm onshore anywhere along the Florida coast, and states west of Florida are still at risk. All strikes are likely to be at or above Category 4 intensity.
The forecast track is similar to that of Hurricane Charley, although shifted to the west. Charley struck Jamaica and Cuba as a much weaker storm. Ivan is an extremely dangerous storm, and is not forecast to weaken significantly before striking land.
Current watches and warnings
- A hurricane warning is in effect for the Cayman Islands and the western Cuban coastline, from Pinar del Rio to Ciego de Avila, including the Isle of Youth.
- A tropical storm watch is in effect for parts of the Florida Keys from the Seven Mile Bridge westward to the Dry Tortugas.
- A hurricane watch is in effect for the remaining coastline of Cuba.
- A hurricane watch and a tropical storm warning have been issued for the northeastern Yucatan Peninsula from Tulum to Progreso including Cozumel
Preparations
- A full evacuation of the Florida Keys began at 7:00am EDT September 10.
- Half a million Jamaicans were told to evacuate from coastal areas, but only a five thousand were reported to have moved to shelters [1].
Damage Potential
This pertains to areas in the path of Ivan, not those which have already been affected.
- Wind damage, with sustained winds in excess of 150 mph (250 km/h) and higher gusts.
- Immense Storm surge of 20-25 ft. (6-8 m) above normal, including battering waves.
- Rainfall in excess of 8-12 in. (20-30 cm), along with life-threatening flooding and mudslides.
Impact
Ivan passed directly over Grenada on September 7, 2004, killing at least 23 people. The capital of St. George's was severely damaged and several notable buildings were destroyed, including the residence of the prime minister. A prison on the island suffered extensive damage, allowing much of the inmate population to escape. The island has, in the words of a Caribbean disaster official, suffered "total devastation" [2]. As a result, extensive looting has been reported.
A member of the Grenadan parliament estimated "85 percent devastation" to the small island [3]. Among the dead include a pregnant woman killed in Tobago, and a 75-year old woman who drowned in Barbados. There were also four deaths in the Dominican Republic, and four in Venezuela.
Ivan also damaged hundreds of homes in Barbados and at least 60 homes in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
On September 11, Ivan began passing over Jamaica, causing significant wind and flood damage. Early reports suggested at least 14 people had been killed. Looters have begun roaming the streets of Jamaica's capital city, Kingston (which is now almost completely evacuated), robbing emergency workers at gunpoint.
Elsewhere, evacuations have been ordered in the Cayman Islands, and residents and tourists have begun evacuating the Florida Keys.
Ivan has killed a total of appox. 56 people in the Carribean.
External links
- NHC advisory on Hurricane Ivan - official forecasts.
- Latest Satellite Image of Hurricane Ivan
- The National Weather Service
- NHC archives for Ivan
- Image displaying both Hurricane Ivan and Frances (Very large file—about 2 MB. Please view the smaller version if you have a slow connection)
- Hurricane Ivan pictures
- Hurricane Ivan news and resources
- Hurricane Ivan thrashes Grenada (from CNN.com)
- Hurricane Ivan slams into Jamaica (Reuters)
- Hurricane Ivan information including a Java applet animated Atlantic hurricane tracker
