After wreaking havoc on Hispaniola, Jeanne struggled to reorganize, eventually strengthening and performing a complete loop over the open Atlantic.

Jeanne made landfall later in the day in Florida just two miles (three kilometers) from where Hurricane Frances had struck a mere three weeks earlier.

Building on the rainfall of Frances and Hurricane Ivan, Jeanne brought near-record flood levels as far north as West Virginia and New Jersey before its remnants turned east into the open Atlantic.

[2] Jeanne passed south of the U.S. Virgin Islands on September 15,[3] making landfall near Yabucoa, Puerto Rico later the same day.

[8] Even though Jeanne did not strike Haiti directly, the storm was large enough to cause flooding and mudslides, particularly in the northwestern part of the country.

[9] On September 18, while the system was being tracked near Great Inagua and Haiti, a new center formed well to the northeast and the previous circulation dissipated.

[11] Jeanne continued to meander for several days (making a complete loop in the process) before beginning a steady westward motion toward the Bahamas and Florida.

[16] The cyclone then swung more rapidly to the north, and the center remained over land all the way to the Georgia state line, unlike Frances which exited into the Gulf of Mexico.

Jeanne became an extratropical cyclone over Virginia on September 28 and the system moved back into the Atlantic offshore the New Jersey coast the next day.

At that time, the United States government issued a tropical storm warning for the entirety of Puerto Rico, about 43 hours prior to Jeanne making landfall on the island.

Ultimately, Jeanne made landfall at 1600 UTC on September 15 as a 70 mph (110 km/h) tropical storm, about 17 mi (27 km) east of Guayama.

[21] Due to the threat for downed wires, the governor ordered for the entire island's power grid to be turned off during the storm.

[24] Jeanne quickly crossed Puerto Rico and eventually attained hurricane status in the Mona Passage between the island and Dominican Republic.

[9] The entire power grid of Puerto Rico was shut down by the government of Sila María Calderón as the storm approached to prevent electrocutions and infrastructure damage.

[9] Because Hurricane Frances struck only about two week prior, numerous houses were still patched with plastic sheeting on their roofs, while other residents were still living with neighbors or relatives.

[29] On Friday, the Palm Beach Zoo prepared for the storm by moving small animals and birds into buildings such as restrooms and restaurants.

[34] Upon making landfall near Maunabo midday on September 15,[35] Jeanne produced tropical storm force winds in portions of the island.

Additionally, the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan reported sustained winds of 49 mph (79 km/h).

[37] Strong wind gusts left 70% of the island without power,[40] and damage to the electrical grid totaled $60 million (2004 USD).

Decades of deforestation left surrounding valleys unable to hold the 30 hours of rain from Hurricane Jeanne, causing massive landslides.

As the storm moved northward east of the Appalachian Mountains, it continued producing heavy rains and flash flooding.

The tornado touched down in northern New Castle County and tracked for 5 mi (8.0 km) and generated winds up to 130 mph (210 km/h).

At a nearby industrial park, metal siding was torn off buildings, windows were shattered and power lines were downed.

[63] Although the storm made landfall well to the south, Indian River County was severely affected due to the right eyewall passing through.

It moved near the intersection of Florida State Road 60 and Interstate 95, where it felled numerous trees, resulting in approximately $20,000 (2004 USD) in damage.

[69] A National Football League game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins was delayed by 7 hours and 30 minutes because of the storm.

Due to spring tides and elevated waters in Florida Bay, minor tidal flooding occurred at the Key West International Airport.

[71] Following the passage of the storm, two people died due to carbon monoxide poisoning after running a generator in closed space without proper ventilation.

[19] On September 17, two days after Jeanne struck, United States President George W. Bush declared Puerto Rico a disaster area,[72] which provided for the cost of debris removal and emergency services.

[76] In March 2005, the US Government provided $14.6 million in aid for reconstruction projects, including repairs to the power grid, as well as general road and bridge restoration.