It moved swiftly northward, and intensified to a tropical storm on November 9, entering the southern Gulf of Mexico a day later.

Minor beach erosion occurred along the Texas coast, where tides were 2 to 4 ft (0.61 to 1.22 m) above normal; coastal flooding affected the state, which was heavily impacted by tropical cyclones in August and September.

[8] The USS Taney logged 109 mph (175 km/h), a speed atypical of the storm's pressure,[nb 2] while other data sources implied lower winds.

The gradient slackened, enabling a drifting motion, and Jeanne came to a near-standstill 140 miles (225 km) east of Brownsville, Texas.

For a time Jeanne continued to meander between a tardy trough and remnant ridging, but began backtracking east-northeast, ahead of and in response to a cold front.

[18] The NHC counseled mariners in the Yucatán Channel, as well as the southeastern Gulf of Mexico, to stay abreast of the storm and to seek sheltered locations.

On November 12 the NHC issued a gale warning for the area between the Mississippi River Delta and a point near Port O'Connor, Texas.

[25][24] Some 4,000 workers left the platforms, and Grand Isle, Louisiana, directed residents to leave,[26][16] as did South Padre Island, Texas, where fewer than 100 people departed.

[28] Some residents on Dauphin Island, Alabama, voluntarily evacuated, recalling 1979's Hurricane Frederic and fleeing Jeanne's northward motion.

[8] Meteorologists foresaw impact in Southwest Louisiana, although Jeanne eventually stayed offshore; thousands of residents moved inland, while Civil Defense remained alert.

[30] Copious rainfall significantly impacted tobacco crops in Cuba's Pinar del Río Province, forcing evacuations there.

[22] Jeanne and a large high-pressure area joined forces to generate rough seas over the northern Gulf of Mexico;[24] wave heights reached 15 ft (4.6 m).

[34] The heavy precipitation was attributed to a mesoscale feature;[1] inflow maximized along a convergent rainband that intersected with an adjacent stationary front, which also contributed to the deluge.

Telephone and power services were partly disrupted,[36] and water lay 5 ft (1.5 m) deep in streets,[37] carrying off derelict automobiles.

[40] A wooden salvage barge, 80 ft (24 m) long, sank in the storm 150 mi (240 km) offshore Key West,[38] but its crew of three were unharmed.