| Category 5 hurricane (SSHS) | |
|---|---|
| |
| Formed | September 1 |
| Dissipated | September 21 |
| Highest winds | 1-minute sustained: 190 mph (305 km/h) |
| Fatalities | 1,104 total |
| Damage | $91 billion (2004 USD) |
| Areas affected | Windward Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, Barbados, Jamaica, Hispaniola, Grand Cayman, Cuba, Yucatan Peninsula, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama |
| Part of the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season | |
Hurricane Ivan was a large and extremely destructive and deadly tropical cyclone that was one of the costliest natural disasters in history and the costliest in United States history. In addition, it was the costliest tropical cyclone in the entire Atlantic basin until surpassed by Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Ivan was the second-strongest tropical cyclone ever recorded in the Atlantic basin with wind speeds of 190 mph (305 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 887 mbar. Only Hurricane Gilbert of 1988 was more intense.
The ninth named storm, seventh hurricane, and second major hurricane of the hyperactive 2004 Atlantic hurricane season, Ivan originated from a tropical wave in the tropical Atlantic Ocean and ultimately evolved into an extremely powerful Category 5 hurricane in the Caribbean Sea.