 Rick maintained its peak intensity for roughly two hours between 7 : 00 pm and 9 : 00 pm PDT ( 0200 and 0400 UTC ) on October 17 , before it began to weaken in response to an eyewall replacement cycle and increasing wind shear . By the afternoon of October 18 , the storm had weakened to a low @-@ end Category 5 hurricane , with maximum winds of 160 mph ( 257 km / h ; 139 kn ) . Deep convection around the eye warmed slightly and a combination of dry air and wind shear restrained the extent of the storms ' outflow to the west . Later that day , Rick began to turn towards the northwest as the subtropical ridge north of the system began to weaken . Early on October 19 , Rick was downgraded to a Category 3 hurricane as it began its approach to the southern end of the Baja California peninsula . Wind shear and dry air quickly entered the core of the system , with the eye disappearing from satellite imagery later that morning . 
