Powerful Hurricane Ivan Slams the Central Gulf Coast
as a Category 3 Hurricane
September 16, 2004

At 150am on 16 September 2004, powerful Hurricane Ivan made landfall just west of Gulf Shores, AL as a Category 3 Hurricane.

View of the northern eyewall making landfall.

Ivan packed 120 mph sustained surface winds and a historic storm surge, the magnitude and extent of the damage and destruction over Baldwin County in Alabama and Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties in
northwest Florida exceeded that of both Hurricane Frederic (September 1979) and Hurricane Opal (October 1995).

Hurricane Ivan may rival the magnitude of damage and destruction caused by the Hurricane of 1926 which ravaged the counties east of Mobile Bay. A total of 8 deaths in the western Florida Panhandle (7 in Escambia County and 1 in Santa Rosa County) were the direct result of Hurricane Ivan. Damage was estimated near 14 billion US dollars.
 

This microbaragraph shows the pressure with time as the western eyewall approached the National Weather Service Office in Mobile, AL. The observed minimum central pressure was 28.48 inches (or 964mb). Brookley Field (not shown) was located 32 miles northwest of the eye and measured 28.23 inches (or 956mb) of pressure. The minimum central pressure measured by NOAA Research Aircraft at the time of landfall was 27.85 inches (or 943mb). Note: there was a 13mb pressure difference over a straight line from Brookley Field (northwest Mobile Bay) to the center of Ivan located over extreme southeastern Mobile Bay.
   

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This webpage will remain focused on Hurricane Ivan's impacts across southwestern Alabama and the northwestern Florida Panhandle. Below are some of the regional impacts...
Jump to - Wind, Storm Surge, Rainfall, Animations, Imagery, or Additional Information sections
 

WIND

Table 1 below gives hourly 0.5 degree radar reflectivity images taken from the National Weather Service Doppler Weather Radar in Mobile, AL (KMOB) prior to, during and after landfall. View an animated hourly radar loop of Hurricane Ivan.

 

Table 1 - Hourly radar reflectivity images (0.5 deg) taken from the NWS Doppler Radar in Mobile, AL (KMOB) prior to, during and after landfall.

9pm CDT	10pm CDT	11pm CDT	Midnight	N Eyewall Landfall (1251am CDT)
1am CDT	Eye Landfall (2am CDT)	3am CDT	4am CDT	5am CDT
6am CDT	7am CDT	8am CDT	9am CDT

 

     WSR-88D radar velocity location of strongest surface winds surrounding landfall or 8 min resolution .gif (large)
     or 4 min resolution .gif  (very large).
     Note: large area of 124 knot winds at 3000 feet above ground northeast through east with respect to Ivan's center. 

 

A loss of power and phone lines well before landfall rendered many observational platforms unable to continue logging data. Table 2 shows information on regional peak wind gusts during this event. Click on the buoy and Dauphin Island, Alabama C-MAN locations in Table 2 to view time series plots of sustained wind speeds, wind gusts and wave heights. You may note upon observing Buoy 42040 (70 miles south of Dauphin Island, AL) that significant wave heights reached a maximum of 52 feet (not to be confused with storm surge along the coast). Buoy 42040 later went adrift from its mooring. Note: most of the peak wind gust data was obtained from the relatively weaker west side of Ivan. Although there are no surface wind observations available over inland southwestern Alabama, an estimated 80-100 mph winds near Ivan's center caused major tree and structural damage along his path over Escambia, Conecuh, Monroe and Wilcox counties of Alabama.

   

Table 2 - Observed peak wind gusts and times during Hurricane Ivan. Wind gusts observed on September 16 unless otherwise noted. 
*** Indicates Eglin Air Force Base, FL Wind Sensor

Location	Peak Wind Gust Value (mph)	Time	Location	Peak Wind Gust Value (mph)	Time
Sailboat anchored in Wolf Bay Baldwin County, AL	145	unknown
2 SW Mary Esther, FL 200' high over Gulf	119	350am	Buoy 42040 70mi south of Dauphin Island, AL	85	15th at 443pm
Gulf Shores Airport, AL DOW	115	unknown	Buoy 42007 20mi south of Ocean Springs, MS	78	1242am
Pensacola Naval Air Station, FL KNPA	107	138am	Mobile, AL  KMOB, Bates Field	75	212am
Pensacola, FL 10m Gill	106	144am	Mobile, AL Downtown WKRG Studios	74	104am
Battleship Park, AL on Mobile Bay	105	135am (no data after)	Fairhope, AL AWIS	72	15th at 1118pm
Dauphin Island, AL C-MAN	102	15th at 1029pm	Grand Bay, AL	71	1217am
Pensacola Airport, FL KPNS	101	150AM (no data after)	8 SW Mossy Head, FL	69	1210am
10 S Harold, FL ***	90	1210am	Spanish Fort, AL	59	300am
Fairhope, AL 10m Gill	89	144am	Semmes, AL AWIS	59	1230am
10 N Mary Esther, FL ***	86	1230am	Grand Bay, AL RAWS	58	1217am
5 NE Seminole, FL ***	86	440am	Semmes, AL NWS Mesonet	56	midnight
			Evergreen, AL KGZH	47	1253am

  

Ivan's path of destruction did not stop in the coastal counties, however. The winds around the center of a landfalling hurricane can remain above hurricane force (> 74 mph) well inland (and most certainly in higher gusts). That was certainly the case with Ivan.

     Path of Ivan traced out by the highest radar reflectivities (> 50 dBZ, obtained from the KMOB WSR-88D)

In these intense squalls very near the eyewall, higher winds just above the surface are efficiently transported down to the ground. As one can see in the above figure, Ivan carved a path of wind destruction as it moved well away form the coast. The National Weather Service in Mobile, AL issued Inland Hurricane High Wind Warnings for the affected counties well in advance of Ivan's arrival into inland southwest Alabama. 

 

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STORM SURGE 

Table 3 shows regional storm surge information obtained from various tide gauges. The maximum surge along this stretch of coastline ranged from 10-15 feet. Fortunately, for downtown Mobile, AL, the center of Ivan passed to the east preventing nearly 16 to 18 feet of devastating storm surge, which would have happened if Ivan would have made landfall west of Mobile Bay
 

Table 3 - Observed storm surge data during Hurricane Ivan. Courtesy of US Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District.
¹ USGS gage     ² Outside High Water Mark     ³ Inside High Water Mark

 

 

Tide Gage Designation	Peak During Ivan (ft-NGVD)	Peak During Georges (ft-NGVD)	Peak During Opal (ft-NGVD)	Peak During Frederic (ft-NGVD)
1Mississippi Sound at Waveland, MS (USGS)	4.56
Gulfport Harbor at Gulfport, MS (540)	4.63	7.05		2.98
Mississippi Sound at Ship Island	5.15
Biloxi Bay at Point Cadet	4.23	7.17
Back Bay Biloxi at Biloxi, MS		8.05
1West Pascagoula River at Hwy 90 at Gautier, MS	4.10
2Pascagoula River (NOAA) at Pascagoula, MS	6.72	8.36		5.78
Mississippi Sound at Pascagoula PI- Rear Range	5.83
Mississippi Sound at Petit Bois Island	4.83
1Escatawpa River at I-10 nr Orange Grove, MS	3.93
Middle Gage at Bayou LaBatre	4.66	8.27
2Mobile Bay at Cedar Point, AL	6.90	5.60
3Dauphin Island Bay at Dauphin Island	7.80	5.00	4.50	7.80
2Mobile Bay at Dauphin Island (USCG)	8.00	4.59
Mobile River at Mobile, AL	4.87	8.94		8.05
Mobile River at Bucks, AL (Barry Steam Plant)	6.82			5.50
Mobile Bay at Ft Morgan Front Range	7.85
Mobile Bay at Middle Bay Light House
Perdido Pass Orange Beach, AL	8.81	5.58	5.40	7.10
GIWW at Pensacola Gulf Beach, FL	9.68			7.19
3Pensacola Bay at Ft. McRee, FL (USCG)	9.70		7.50
3Pensacola Bay at Pensacola, FL (NOAA)	10.20		6.20
3Escambia Bay West Bank at HWY 90	12.92
3Escambia Bay West Bank 1.5 miles N of I-10	12.12
3GIWW at Gulf Breeze, FL	10.30		6.30
1Yellow River near Milton, FL	9.66
Fort Walton Brooks Bridge	6.12		5.80
Destin at Choctawhachee Bay (USCG)	5.39	4.60	6.80	3.28
GIWW at Choctawhachee Bay (HWY 331)	5.51
GIWW at West Bay, FL (HWY 79)	6.60
St Andrew Bay at Panama City, FL	4.94	3.51
Watson Bayou at Panama City, FL			6.92
Apalachicola River at Apalachicola, FL	5.10	4.52	6.40
GIWW at St. George Island, FL	3.55
Carrabelle River at Carrabelle, FL	5.04	4.58	5.54

 

Storm Surge Area Map

 

 

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RAINFALL

Regarding rainfall, the highest amounts occurred east of Ivan's center as it moved northward into southwestern Alabama.

Storm Total Precipitation measured by the Mobile, Alabama WSR-88D. The time span of rainfall ranges from September 14th at 734pm to September 16th at 429pm. The absence of shower and storm activity prior to the arrival of Ivan's significant rainbands means that this time period captured nearly all the event rainfall associated with Ivan. The radar-estimated data shows a large swath of greater than 5 inches of rain over coastal Alabama and the extreme western Florida Panhandle.

Fortunately, due to Ivan's relatively fast northerly motion (13-16mph) after landfall, rainfall amounts were limited compared to some past tropical systems (eg. Hurricane Danny 1997 which deposited nearly 43 inches of rain over a two day period while over southwestern Mobile Bay). A narrow swath of heavy rain occurred about 15 miles either side of a line from Orange Beach, AL to Barrineau Park, FL to Atmore, AL to just west of Monroeville, AL. Along this line, radar estimated between 10-15 inches of rain. Rainfall amounts were much less west of I-65 in Alabama where 2-4 inches of rain fell.

 

Table 4 - 48 hour rainfall totals ending 7pm CDT on September 16 for select locations.
NOTE: lesser amounts were west of Ivan's track

Location	48hr Rainfall (in.) ending September 16 - 7pm CDT	Location	48hr Rainfall (in.) ending  September 16 - 7pm CDT
Pensacola, FL (WEAR Studios)	15.79	Niceville, FL	6.55
Silverhill, AL (3S)	10.16	Mobile, AL (7S KMOB)	6.53
Andalusia, AL (HAM)	9.96	Munson, FL	6.50
Mobile, AL (2S KMOB)	9.90	Mobile, AL (3S KMOB)	6.30
Mossy Head, FL (10S)	8.92	Coden, AL (NWS COOP)	6.30
Crestview, FL (HAM)	8.40	Ft. Walton, FL (HAM)	6.06
Seminole, FL (5 NE)	8.10	Harold, FL (10S)	5.72
Mobile, AL (10S KMOB)	8.00	Mobile, AL (Bates Field, KMOB)	5.56
Pensacola Naval Air Station (NPA)	8.00	Semmes, AL	5.00
Daphne, AL	7.50	Richton, MS (NWS COOP)	4.50
Valparaiso, FL (Eglin AFB, KVPS)	7.43	Thomasville, AL (NWS COOP)	4.20
Evergreen, AL (NWS COOP)	7.25	Dothan, AL (KDHN)	3.21
Alberta, AL	6.85	Troy, AL (KTOI)	2.90

 

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Animations

Animated Radar Imagery
Animated Satellite Imagery
Colorized IR Satellite Loop
 

Imagery

📸 NWS Mobile Storm Survey Photos

Interactive Map of Hurricane Ivan Track

NOAA Coastal Aerial Photos
USGS Oblique Aerial Photos

NASA 3D Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) into Ivan
NASA 3D Tropical Rainfall Structure with Cloud Overlay

Pre- and Post-Ivan 3D Topography - Orange Beach & Gulf Shores, AL

Before and After Photos from Gulf Shores and Pensacola (NASA)

 

More Information (Technical Papers and Assessments)

NWS Mobile Post-Tropical Cyclone Report (PSH) - Hurricane Ivan

NHC Advisory Archive

NHC Tropical Cyclone Report - Hurricane Ivan

NWS Ivan Local Write-Ups and Webpages:
     NWS Jackson
     NWS Birmingham
     NWS Huntsville
     NWS Nashville
     NWS Blacksburg
 

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Acknowledgements: Page created by Jeffrey Medlin (MIC), Ray Ball (ITO), and Gary Beeler (former WCM) with contributions from members of the NWS Mobile staff. MVERIFY buoy and C-MAN time series provided by David Eversole (senior forecaster). Updated by Morgan Barry (senior forecaster) and Don Shepherd (senior forecaster). 

LAST UPDATED: September 2024