The 2004 Atlantic hurricane season was notable as one of the deadliest and most costly Atlantic hurricane seasons on record. It officially began on June 1, 2004, and ended on November 30, although storm activity continued into December. This season had 16 tropical depressions, of which, 15 became named storms. Of these, 9 strengthened into hurricanes with 6 intensifying into major hurricanes. The most noteworthy storms for the season were the five named storms that made landfall in the U.S. states of Florida and Alabama, three of them with at least 115 mph (185 km/h) sustained winds (major hurricane strength): Tropical Storm Bonnie, Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne. This is the only time in recorded history that four hurricanes affected the U.S. State of Florida although one of the four, Ivan, brought hurricane-force winds to the state without making a landfall there.

This timeline documents tropical cyclone formations, strengthening, weakening, landfalls, extratropical transitions, and dissipations during the season. It includes information that was not released throughout the season, meaning that data from post-storm reviews by the National Hurricane Center, such as a storm that was not initially warned upon, has been included.

The time stamp for each event is first stated using Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), the 24-hour clock where 00:00 = midnight UTC. The NHC uses both UTC and the time zone where the center of the tropical cyclone is currently located. The time zones utilized (east to west) prior to 2020 were: Atlantic, Eastern, and Central. In this timeline, the respective area time is included in parentheses. Additionally, figures for maximum sustained winds and position estimates are rounded to the nearest 5 units (miles, or kilometers), following National Hurricane Center practice. Direct wind observations are rounded to the nearest whole number. Atmospheric pressures are listed to the nearest millibar and nearest hundredth of an inch of mercury.

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Timeline of storms

June

;June 1

  • The Atlantic hurricane season officially begins.

July

;July 31

  • 2 p.m. EDT (1800 UTC) – Tropical Depression One forms 200 miles (325 km) east of Jacksonville, Florida.

August

right|thumb|Hurricane Alex off the mid-Atlantic coast on August 4

;August 1

  • 2 p.m. EDT (1800 UTC) – Tropical Depression One strengthens into Tropical Storm Alex.
  • 1 p.m. EDT (1700 UTC) – Hurricane Alex skirts the Outer Banks of North Carolina but does not make landfall.
  • 7 a.m. CDT (1200 UTC) – Tropical Depression Two strengthens into Tropical Storm Bonnie in the southern Gulf of Mexico.
  • 10 a.m. EDT (1400 UTC) – Hurricane Charley reaches Category 3 intensity again.
  • 3:45 p.m. EDT (1945 UTC) – Hurricane Charley makes its second landfall just West of Fort Myers, Florida with winds.

;August 25

  • 2 p.m. EDT (1800 UTC) – Tropical Depression Six strengthens into Tropical Storm Frances.
  • 2 p.m. EDT (1800 UTC) – Hurricane Frances reaches Category 3 strength.

;August 28

right|thumb|Hurricane Frances on August 31

  • 2 a.m. EDT (0600 UTC) – Tropical Depression Seven strengthens into Tropical Storm Gaston.
  • 3:30 p.m. EDT (1930 UTC) – Hurricane Frances strikes San Salvador Island with winds.
  • 5:30 p.m. EDT (2130 UTC) – Hurricane Ivan passes just south of Grenada with winds.
  • 9 p.m. EDT (0100 UTC, September 14) – Hurricane Ivan passes near the western tip of Cuba with winds.
  • 1:50 a.m. CDT (0650 UTC) – Hurricane Ivan makes landfall near Gulf Shores, Alabama with winds.

;September 20

  • 2 a.m. EDT (0600 UTC) – Hurricane Karl reaches Category 4 strength.
  • 1 p.m. CDT (1800 UTC) – Tropical Depression Fourteen strengthens into Tropical Storm Matthew.
  • 6 a.m. CDT (1100 UTC) – Tropical Storm Matthew makes landfall on the Louisiana coast south of Houma with winds.

;November 30

  • 7 a.m. EST (1200 UTC) – Subtropical Storm Otto gains tropical characteristics and becomes Tropical Storm Otto.