HURRICANE SEASON OF 1998 IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC

«IVAN»

September 20^th-27^th

It originated within a strong tropical wave proceeding from Africa in the morning of the 20^th some 800 km almost West of the Islands of Cabo Verde. In the evening that day it was classified as tropical storm. The associated cloud pattern corresponded to the highly sheared environment prevailing over the area and its course kept close to the Northeast until the evening of the 21^st, when it bent its path almost North. Since the morning of the 22^nd it returned to its initial course between North-northwest and Northwest always under the influence of a strong shear due to the presence of an upper low.

Once this influence ceased, Ivan organized better and intensified reaching the category of hurricane in the afternoon of the 23^rd. As it gained intensity, it started its recurve in the afternoon of the 24^th and finally followed, in the evening of the 34^th a course towards its first quadrant.

In the evening of the 25^th Ivan reached its maximum intensity with maximum winds of 150 km/h and a central pressure of 975 hPa (category 1 in the Saffir-Simpson scale). Afterwards it gradually lost intensity since the morning of the 26^th, when with a course almost to the East it was degraded to tropical storm and finally became extratropical on the 27^th.

Hurricane Ivan. September 26, 1998 (02: 45 UTC)

«JEANNE»