reformed and the storm became more vertically aligned, allowing Celia to re-attain Category 2 status. Throughout the day, Celia became increasingly organized and intensified, nearly attaining major hurricane status during the afternoon. Operationally, the hurricane was thought to have reached this intensity but post-storm analysis indicated that winds did not exceed . Peak intensity and dissipation Although there were no factors inhibiting the development of Celia, the storm unexpectedly weakened again later on June 23. The storm's eye rapidly dissipated and the central dense overcast became asymmetric. Forecaster Todd Kimberlain at the NHC referred to the unexplained shifts in strength as "puzzling." However, as suddenly as the weakening took place, strengthening ensued. Very strong convection formed over the center of the storm, with some cloud tops being as cold as , but no eye had reformed by the morning of June 24. Throughout the day, Celia became increasingly organized, with the eye fully reforming and the structure becoming more symmetrical. Rapid intensification soon followed as the storm reached Category 4 status, becoming one of only a handful of tropical cyclones to do so during the month of June in the eastern Pacific. That evening, the storm further intensified into a Category 5 hurricane, the second storm to reach this strength during June in the Eastern Pacific basin on record. Hurricane Celia attained its peak intensity around 00:00 UTC, with sustained winds of and a barometric pressure estimated at 921 mbar (hPa; ). The storm also displayed a well-defined eye estimated to be in diameter. During the late morning of June 25, Celia started rapidly weakening as it began to take a more northwesterly track into a more hostile environment, with cooler water temperatures and higher wind shear; all of these conditions are highly unfavorable for tropical cyclones. By June 26, convection associated with the hurricane had substantially lessened and cloud tops warmed. The storm also began to resume a westward track as it moved into an area of weaker steering currents. Traversing water temperatures estimated at , Celia continued to degenerate as it weakened to tropical storm status, by which time it was situated about 955 mi (1,535 km) southeast of the southern tip of Baja California Sur. Most of the convection associated with the system had dissipated and the center of circulation became exposed, with only a small area of showers and thunderstorms to the north. Throughout June 27,