page_title: Effects of Hurricane Ivan in the Greater Antilles
section_title: Cuba
hierarchical_section_title: Effects of Hurricane Ivan in the Greater Antilles / Cuba
caption_attribution_description: Now a powerful and rare Category 5 storm, Hurricane Ivan is moving between Cuba, right, and the Yucatan Peninsula, left into the Gulf of Mexico. When the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this image at 15:55 UTC (10:55 a.m. EDT) on September 13, 2004, the storm boasted winds of 260 kilometers per hour (160 mph). The storm was located about 110 kilometers southeast of Cuba, and was moving northwest at 13 kilometers per hour (8 mph). For more information about Ivan, please visit the National Hurricane Center.
context_page_description: From September 8 to 14, 2004, Hurricane Ivan moved through the Caribbean Sea, affecting all of the Greater Antilles. Reaching peak winds of 165 mph, Ivan attained Category 5 strength on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale, the strongest possible category, on three times in the Caribbean. It first lashed the southern coasts of Puerto Rico and Hispaniola with high waves, killing five people in the Dominican Republic and Haiti; in the latter country, two others drowned due to storm flooding. The effects in Jamaica were among the worst from a tropical cyclone in the island's recorded history. The storm caused severe damage which left 18,000 people homeless. An estimated 17 people on the island were killed by Ivan.
context_section_description: Although the center of Ivan passed through the Yucatán Channel as a Category 5 hurricane, its core approached within 17 mi (28 km) of Cape San Antonio, the westernmost point of Cuba, which briefly experienced the edge of the eyewall. A station there recorded sustained winds of 110 mph (178 km/h), with gusts to 119 mph (192 km/h), before the instrument failed; peak gusts at the location were estimated at 168 mph (270 km/h). Winds of major hurricane-force, reaching over 115 mph (185 km/h), occurred about 10 mi (16 km) from the westernmost point in Cuba, which is where the heaviest damage occurred. Hurricane-force spread 56 mi (90 km) east of Cape San Antonio across western Pinar del Río Province, affecting the municipalities of Sandino and Mantua. Tropical storm-force winds extended 140 mi (225 km) from Cape San Antonio into Artemisa Province and Isla de la Juventud, lasting 47 hours at the latter location while the hurricane passed 110 mi (180 km) to the southwest. A 6 to 12 ft (1.8 to 3.7 m) storm surge washed ashore the southern coast, causing flooding along the coast and in low-lying areas. The surge first affected Granma and Santiago de Cuba provinces while Ivan was south of Jamaica. The offshore island of Cayo Largo del Sur recorded 16 ft (5 m) during the storm. During Ivan, rainfall reached 13.33 in (338.6 mm) in Isabel Rubio, and several areas recorded over 4 in (100 mm).
  Throughout Cuba, Hurricane Ivan left $1.223 billion in damage, but no deaths. The storm caused widespread damage to crops, power systems, and homes. In Santiago de Cuba in the eastern portion of the country, heavy rainfall caused landslides. In western Pinar del Río Province, Ivan's strong winds shredded the roofs of several homes. The heavy rainfall flooded houses and farms, causing mudslides that cut off two houses.
caption: Satellite image of Hurricane Ivan passing through the Yucatán Channel between Cuba and the Yucatán Peninsula
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