 Hurricane Luis maintained wind speeds of 135 mph ( 215 km / h ) for nearly two days and developed a symmetrical structure with a well @-@ defined 46 mi ( 74 km ) wide eye . Early on September 3 , winds within the eyewall reached 140 mph ( 225 km / h ) . Luis maintained this intensity until September 5 , shortly before passing through the Leeward Islands with 135 mph ( 215 km / h ) winds . The hurricane maintained Category 4 status until September 7 as it tracked towards the northwest . Gradual weakening took place for several days and by September 9 , the hurricane passed about 200 mi ( 320 km ) west of Bermuda . The next day , Luis began to undergo an extratropical transition and the storm 's forward motion rapidly increased . Early on September 11 , Luis made landfall on the Avalon Peninsula as a strong Category 1 hurricane with winds of 90 mph ( 140 km / h ) . The same day , a 30 metres ( 98 ft ) wave produced by Luis struck an ocean liner . This wave is the largest ever recorded , Several hours later , the storm completed its extratropical transition as it began to be absorbed into an approaching trough . The following day , the remnants of Luis were fully absorbed into the trough near the southern coast of Greenland . 
