Jeanne encountered favorable conditions as it continued westward, and it reached major hurricane status before crossing the northern Bahamas on September 25.

The hurricane produced heavy rainfall across its path, including in Haiti where precipitation caused devastating mudslides; over 3,000 deaths were reported in the country.

Late in its duration, the combination of moisture from Jeanne and cool air resulted in a tornado outbreak that extended from Georgia through the Mid-Atlantic states.

[9] Late on September 13, with the formation of a broad low-level circulation, it is estimated the system developed into Tropical Depression Eleven about 70 mi (110 km) east-southeast of Guadeloupe.

Banding features improved around the circulation, and the National Hurricane Center upgraded the depression to Tropical Storm Jeanne on September 13 about 135 mi (217 km) southeast of Saint Croix.

[1] Tropical Storm Jeanne quickly organized over the eastern Caribbean Sea, developing a tight inner core and well-defined outflow as it tracked over warm water temperatures of about 84 °F (29 °C).

[15] At 1600 UTC on September 15, Jeanne made landfall near Guayama, Puerto Rico with winds of 70 mph (110 km/h),[1] and as it moved ashore it was in the process of developing an eye.

Continuing slowly west-northwestward near the coast, Jeanne quickly weakened to tropical storm status,[1] and by 24 hours after landfall its convection had deteriorated as the eye feature dissipated.

[1] On September 17, while it was over Hispaniola, the National Hurricane Center issued a forecast that predicted Jeanne to make landfall near Savannah, Georgia in about five days.

By then, the mid-level circulation associated with Hurricane Ivan had combined with a trough to weaken the ridge located across the western Atlantic Ocean; this caused Jeanne to track northward through the Turks and Caicos Islands.

[22] An eye developed within the convection,[23] and late on September 20 Jeanne re-attained hurricane status about 350 mi (560 km) east-northeast of the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas.

[1] At the same time, the National Hurricane Center forecast to turn westward and later northwestward, with its projected five-day track within 60 mi (97 km) of Cape Fear, North Carolina.

[26] The official forecast changed early on September 23 to bring Jeanne across northeastern Florida, though initially the cyclone was predicted to turn northeastward and hit South Carolina as a hurricane.

[28] By early on September 24, the winds had decreased to 80 mph (130 km/h);[1] its convection weakened in intensity,[29] and the eyewall eroded due to dry air entrainment.

[31] Its favorable upper-level environment allowed the outflow to become better defined, with a large eye and nearby dry air being the primary restraining factors for development.

[33] At 0400 UTC on September 26, Jeanne made landfall with peak winds of 120 mph (190 km/h) on the southern end of Hutchinson Island near Stuart, Florida, with an eye 50 mi (80 km) in diameter.

[37] A cold front across the region caused the depression to accelerate northeastward, combining moisture from the Gulf of Mexico with cool and stable air over the Carolinas.

[41] After crossing into Virginia, Jeanne transitioned into an extratropical cyclone by September 29 near Washington, D.C.[1] In Wilmington, Delaware, the storm spawned an F2 tornado.

[44] Across the Mid-Atlantic and New England, moisture from the storm produced light to heavy rainfall, with totals of over 7 inches (180 mm) near Philadelphia and Nantucket.