 Ivan quickly weakened due to dry air , but it 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 . Over the subsequent days its intensity fluctuated largely due to eyewall replacement cycles , and Ivan passed just south of Jamaica , the Cayman Islands , and western Cuba with winds at or slightly below Category 5 status . Turning northward and encountering unfavorable conditions , Ivan gradually weakened before making landfall just west of Gulf Shores , Alabama on September 16 with winds of 120 mph ( 195 km / h ) . The cyclone quickly weakened to tropical depression status as it turned to the northeast , and Ivan transitioned into an extratropical cyclone on September 18 . 
