The meteorological history of Hurricane Ivan (2004) spans 26 days, the tenth longest storm duration of any Atlantic hurricane on record. The tropical cyclone developed on August 31 from a tropical wave that moved off the coast of Africa. Tracking westward due to a ridge, it developed into Tropical Depression Nine on September 2, gradually intensifying until September 5, when it underwent rapid deepening and reached Category 4 status on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. At the time Ivan was the southernmost major North Atlantic hurricane on record. It was weakened by dry air but gradually reorganized, passing just south of Grenada as a major hurricane on September 7. The hurricane attained Category 5 status in the central Caribbean Sea, and passed just south of Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, and western Cuba with winds at or slightly below that. Ivan gradually weakened before making landfall just west of Gulf Shores, Alabama, on September 16 with winds of 120 mph (195 km/h). After weakening, crossing Florida, restrengthening, and making another landfall in Louisiana, its circulation dissipated in Texas on September 25.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteorological_history_of_Hurricane_Ivan
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1897:
Thomas Edison was granted a patent for the Kinetoscope, a precursor to the movie projector. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinetoscope
1939:
Nazi forces, posing as Poles, staged an attack against the German radio station Sender Gleiwitz in Gleiwitz, Upper Silesia, Germany, creating an excuse to invade Poland the next day. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gleiwitz_incident
1969:
Approximately 150,000 people attended the Isle of Wight Festival, which featured Bob Dylan in his first gig since 1966. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isle_of_Wight_Festival_1969
1982:
Anti-government demonstrations were held in 66 Polish cities to commemorate the second anniversary of the Gdańsk Agreement, which allowed the Solidarity trade union to be established. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1982_demonstrations_in_Poland
1997:
Diana, Princess of Wales, her companion Dodi Fayed, and their driver Henri Paul were killed in a high speed car accident in the Pont de l'Alma road tunnel in Paris. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Diana,_Princess_of_Wales
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
shambolic: (Australia, Britain) Chaotic, disorganised or mismanaged. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/shambolic
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
I have always been a Laugher, disturbing people who are not laughers, upsetting whole audiences at theatres … I laugh, that's all. I love to laugh. Laughter to me is being alive. I have had rotten times, and I have laughed through them. Even in the midst of the very worst times I have laughed. --William Saroyan https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_Saroyan