International governments and agencies through the United Nations sent relief supplies and monetary assistance to Haiti, following Gordon's devastating impact there.

The origins of Gordon were from a tropical wave in the southwestern Caribbean Sea, which developed a circulation north of Panama early on November 6.

Shortly thereafter, an upper-level trough turned the depression to the northeast, and late on November 10 it intensified into Tropical Storm Gordon after reaching open waters.

The circulation of the cyclone was initially very broad, covering much of the western Caribbean Sea, and wind shear prevented significant strengthening.

Early on November 13, Gordon struck Jamaica near Kingston as a minimal tropical storm, and later that day made landfall near Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.

[4] A ridge to the north turned Gordon to the west-northwest, and by November 14 the cloud pattern resembled that of a subtropical cyclone, with little convection near and the strongest winds well-removed from the center.

[2] An approaching trough turned Gordon to the northeast, bringing it ashore near Fort Myers, Florida on November 16 with winds of 50 mph (80 km/h).

Tropical Storm Gordon crossed the Florida peninsula in about nine hours, emerging into the Atlantic Ocean near Vero Beach.

[7] The hurricane turned to the south and south-southeast, weakening into a tropical storm due to stronger shear and drier air.

Schools were closed in New Providence and Grand Bahama due to the storm, and Nassau International Airport was briefly shut down.

[14] In North Carolina, officials suggested people in low-lying areas to go to higher ground, but they did not issue evacuation orders.

[21] While passing south of Jamaica, Gordon dropped heavy rainfall,[2] which caused flooding in six parishes, mostly in Clarendon and Saint Catherine.

[25] The broad circulation of Gordon produced a persistent southerly flow across Hispaniola, causing orographic lift in mountainous regions.

On November 24, the death toll reached 824, and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported on December 21 that Gordon killed 1,122 people in the country.

[29] Damage was heavier in Haiti than elsewhere along Gordon's track due to poor infrastructure consisting of shacks on flood-prone denuded hills.

Large-scale deforestation left Haiti with about 1.4% of its forests as of 2004, leaving denuded mountain slopes that allows rainwater to wash down unimpeded.

[30] In neighboring Dominican Republic, Gordon caused flooding and landslides that disrupted travel and communications to the interior portions of the country.

[31] The external tank used on Space Shuttle mission STS-71[32] was involved in an at-sea rescue during the storm and a subsequent court case.

[33] The tank was being delivered by barge to the launch site when the tow vehicle encountered issues on November 15 due to the storm.

[33] While Gordon was moving across southern Florida, Virginia Key reported sustained winds of 53 mph (85 km/h), which was the highest in the state.

Similar to the Caribbean, the storm dropped heavy rainfall in southern Florida, with widespread areas reporting over 6 in (150 mm) in the eastern portion of the state.

[35] High waves from Gordon severely eroded beaches along the state's eastern coastline,[2] and damaged coral and artificial reef systems.

The same tornado injured 40 people, causing six to be hospitalized, and killed an elderly man who died due to head trauma.

The rains caused flooding in Dade and Collier counties, which damaged $275 million worth of crops,[2] mostly to vegetables and sugar cane.

There were also three indirect deaths; two were from traffic accidents, and one was related to a heart attack after a person pushed a stalled car in a flooded road.

[46] Offshore, a family of four required rescue from the Coast Guard after their boat began filling with water in the midst of 17 ft (5.2 m) surf.

[2] The sailboat was sailing from Bermuda to Oxford, Maryland, but was halted after the engine failed, the anchor was ripped off, and the mainstay was torn.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs flew 30 tons of supplies, financed by Italy and Luxembourg.

[29] In the days after the storm, the Haitian Army and international workers made emergency repairs to the road between Jacmel and Port-au-Prince,[27] which was permanently reopened on November 25.

[54][55][56] The World Meteorological Organization issued an official statement crediting Jamaica and Cuba's warning infrastructure for the low loss of life there from Gordon, and blaming Haiti's lack of such a system for the large number of deaths there.